Originally Posted By: paramedicpete
Actually, I am not responding as a paramedic with ALS equipment/medication, but as a first line BLS responder. Cardiac arrest will occur post respiratory arrest. If the patient is not breathing adequately and the heart not circulating oxygenated blood sufficiently for adequate perfusion, cardiac arrest is inevitable. While rescue breathing may provide air exchange within the lungs, if the oxygenated blood is not circulated to heart, which requires oxygen for metabolic function, the heart muscle becomes irritable, leading to Vfib and eventual asystole.

Pete


I agree but hypothermia slows this process down a lot, hence the phrase "they aint dead until they are warm and dead"

Cardiac arrest is likely to occur below 25C. The coldest survival from hypothermia is 13.7C that is between 12c and 4C degrees below medical induced hypothermia.