Clinical death is a fairly rare occurrence. It received its name for a reason. And the whole point is that such a state is a transition between death and life, but he has one important feature - it is completely reversible. And only competent medical assistance can help in case of clinical death.
A little information
This phenomenon overtakes a person in the event that blood flow is disturbed in vital organs and systems. This is due to problems in the functioning of the heart. And the causes of failures can be varied.
The first pre-medical care for clinical death should be provided immediately, because in this state the count goes for almost seconds. If resuscitation is not timely, then irreversible processes will occur in the damaged organs , it will become impossible to return the patient.
First aid methods and signs of clinical death should be well known to every person, because even absolutely healthy people are not safe from such a situation.
Signs of the phenomenon
In this pathological condition, all the processes necessary for a full life activity stop. So, the signs of clinical death are precisely in the absence of noticeable phenomena: for example, pulse, respiration.
- A person loses consciousness. Due to failures in the blood circulation of the brain, this symptom occurs literally right away: in the first few seconds.
- The person does not feel the pulse. This symptom is also explained by circulatory arrest. You can make sure that the pulse is absent by probing it in the neck area under the jaw. It is here that the carotid artery passes, which transports blood to the brain. That is why it is very important to feel the pulse just in this place. In children, it is quite difficult to feel the heartbeat on the neck, so you can control it on the wrist.
- Man has no breath. You can verify the presence of this symptom by paying attention to the characteristic sounds of breaths and chest movements. Trying to determine breathing with a simple mirror is a bad decision because it takes too much time. And first aid for clinical death must be provided as quickly as possible.
- Human pupils do not respond to lighting. Although this symptom is uniquely present during clinical death, it is not paramount. And all because it can be noticed only after a minute and a half, so you should definitely not wait for it.
In addition, before the onset of this condition, a person may complain of chest pain, severe shortness of breath and dizziness. Loss of consciousness can occur in parallel with convulsions, after which the pupils dilate.
Causes
As already mentioned, clinical death occurs due to impaired heart function.
The causes of failures in the functioning of such an important organ can be varied:
- excessive emotional or physical stress, which can lead to similar consequences;
- severe blood loss;
- allergic, toxic or emotional shock;
- complications of sluggish chronic pathologies of the heart and respiratory organs;
- severe damage to vital organs and the brain.
However, despite what specific causes led to this condition, clinical death requires an immediate response in the form of a competent first aid.
Stages
Since this pathological condition is borderline, there are two options for the outcome of events: either the person returns to consciousness, or the final death occurs. The duration of clinical death without first aid is as long as the brain can maintain viability without the necessary nutrition. Specialists distinguish two stages of this phenomenon:
- The first stage takes only 5 minutes. During this time, the body is still able to maintain vital activity. However, if this does not help a person, the risk of death is extremely high. If the body was resuscitated, but after more than 5 minutes, the patient may well survive, remaining inferior. After all, with prolonged clinical death, irreversible processes develop in the brain, as a result of which some of its parts simply die.
- The second stage is longer, but it does not occur in all cases. Sometimes all processes in the body slow down, as, in fact, the death of tissues. This happens, for example, during hypothermia. As a result, clinical death can last even several tens of minutes. But such a phenomenon is rather rare than the rule.
First Aid for Clinical Death
All resuscitation manipulations are preferably carried out together, but if necessary, one person can cope. First aid for clinical death is primarily aimed at stabilizing blood circulation and normalizing full breathing. Before proceeding with resuscitation, it is imperative to call in specialists. So, how to provide first aid for clinical death?
- In order to resume contractions of the heart ventricles, it is necessary to produce the so-called precardial stroke - a sudden and rather strong push with your fist into the chest area. If there was no result from him, you should go to other manipulations.
- Now it is necessary to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation. To do this, you need to do an indirect heart massage, alternating it with mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration. At the same time, it is very important to control that oxygen is delivered to the lungs, and not to the stomach. And for this, inhalations need to be done not very often, while tightly clamping the nose. It is good if the patient rises in the chest during mechanical ventilation of the lungs. Indirect cardiac massage consists of strong shocks with both hands in the same area. Alternate pressing and inhaling is necessary according to the standard scheme: 30 through 2. Repeat manipulations must be systematic. After five cycles, the patient’s breathing and heartbeat should be checked.
When resuscitation is not needed
In certain cases, first aid for clinical death in such ways is not necessary:
- if the patient is conscious;
- if there are signs of life: whether it is breathing or a pulse;
- in case of symptoms of biological death - rigor mortis or the appearance of cadaveric spots;
- if before this pathological condition a person already suffered from an incurable disease and practically died.
Possible consequence
In some situations, with the right first aid in clinical death, the vital activity of the human body stabilizes, however, it does not come to consciousness. In this case, the patient goes from a pathological condition to a coma, in which he can be for quite some time.
It is noteworthy that at the same time, the person has a functioning heart, as well as the respiratory system. The depth of this condition and further forecasts can only be determined by how badly the patient’s brain was injured.