During a cardiac arrest, there is no pulse, no blood pressure, no breathing.
In this circumstance, the brain does not get adequate or no blood flow.
It is blood flow to the brain that brings oxygen and nutrients to the brain, thus no or inadequate blood flow to the brain is equivalent to hypoxia [low oxygen] or anoxia [no oxygen] and resulting damage to the brain.
Bottom line is that in a cardiac arrest, restoring oxygen and a blood pressure within say 10 minutes carries a better prognosis than a cardiac arrest lasting more than 15 - 30.
Minutes. That is why there is a push for more available automatic defibrillators.
Grace and peace
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