Often in movies and such when a person is struck in the heart they drop like a sack of potatoes. In real life if someone were to shoot you in the heart how long would you be able to function normally?
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I learned this fascinating fact last year when my sister had a heart attack:
Apparently it all depends on HOW your heart stops. In cases where the failure occurs due to some surprise external factor like a blood clot, the normal rules apply: within a few seconds you pass out, and within a few minutes minutes you die, etc.
But, if the heart is about to fail and the body is able to anticipate the failure, the body will begin to store up oxygen at the base of the brain (I believe) in order to preserve the brain for up to one HOUR.
In her case, she was a school bus driver and was stationed outside a school waiting for her after school students to show up, where they found her lifeless body on the floor of the bus.
They have no idea how long she was out for, but guessed it was anywhere between 10 and 60 minutes, as the buses are required to be there 60 minutes prior to school letting out.
The paramedics were able to get her heart started, but when she arrived at the hospital, the doctors were concerned because she showed no signs of purposeful movement, usually a sign of permanent brain damage.
Within a week, her mind fully recovered.
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