So if a heart stops you can massage, pump or shock it back to life, and surgeons even stop a heart on purpose before firing it back up, so why can’t they do that 100 percent of the time? What is it that makes a heart stop and never come back? If the brain is working then surely the heart should always come back?
In: Biology
When doctors stop a heart deliberately, they do it in a way that is reversible, without lasting damage. When hearts stop by accident, this usually stops oxygen flow to (parts of) the heart, while the heart is still trying to do its work. So the heart uses up oxygen and chemical energy, but those reserves aren’t getting replenished (because no blood is flowing), and so the heart cells are getting starved and this may cause cell death. Too much cell death can mean the heart is unable to restart.
When doctors stop a heart during surgery, they truly stop it. They pump a solution into the heart that causes it to stop beating altogether and reduce its metabolism to a minimum. This protects the heart from cell death, because while it is not receiving fresh oxygen & energy, it is also not using much.
Your brain doesn’t control your heart. The heart has its own little nerve centers that generate the electrical impulses that cause the heart to beat, with all the different compartments contracting in the correct order, to the correct rhythm. If your brain is still working, that doesn’t mean your heart has to be too.
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