Why does Cardiac Arrest/Heart stops beating hurt?

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Watching House again and a couple of times people have died (temporarily) when their hearts stop. But before they go they all mention pain. This reminded me of when people have heart attacks there’s pain in the chest and left arm.

But why would it hurt if the heart stops beating? Is it the nerves, muscles, whatever dying due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients or is it the brain screaming at itself that the heart has stopped and it’s in full panic mode?

In: Biology

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

As someone who has survived cardiac arrest, I can tell you that cardiac arrest is painless and quick. You lose consciousness almost immediately when your heart stops beating in a useful rhythm. The heart attack going on for 25 minutes prior is quite painful though.

Just for fun. [Some before and after images of my arteries.](https://imgur.com/a/Sm696PX)

My symptoms were a sudden painful, burning sensation across my entire chest area, a terrible cold sweat, and appearing pale as a ghost. I was just 40 years old with none of the usual risk factors.

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