Hi guys,
Quick question for the medics out there - if someone was to go into cardiac arrest during surgery, could they feasibly recover with no additional complications (other than what would be considered normal for their surgery) or would there always be a high chance of brain damage/other lasting effects?
For some context, the patient is a female in her late teens, generally healthy, but has been in a fight and has a large slash wound across her abdomen. She's unconscious before she reaches the hospital (modern facilities, think 2010s USA), being in the later stages of hypovolemic shock (it's a close call that she survives). I kinda want her to go into cardiac arrest during her emergency surgery (for an out of body experience-type of thing, which makes sense in the world of my story), but I don't know if that's realistic so any info/pointers/suggestions would be very welcome.
Also, for my own curiosity, would the heart stopping during surgery count as them being technically 'dead' for a few minutes, or are there other things that need to happen? Just so I don't describe it wrong.
Thanks!
Quick question for the medics out there - if someone was to go into cardiac arrest during surgery, could they feasibly recover with no additional complications (other than what would be considered normal for their surgery) or would there always be a high chance of brain damage/other lasting effects?
For some context, the patient is a female in her late teens, generally healthy, but has been in a fight and has a large slash wound across her abdomen. She's unconscious before she reaches the hospital (modern facilities, think 2010s USA), being in the later stages of hypovolemic shock (it's a close call that she survives). I kinda want her to go into cardiac arrest during her emergency surgery (for an out of body experience-type of thing, which makes sense in the world of my story), but I don't know if that's realistic so any info/pointers/suggestions would be very welcome.
Also, for my own curiosity, would the heart stopping during surgery count as them being technically 'dead' for a few minutes, or are there other things that need to happen? Just so I don't describe it wrong.
Thanks!