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harkhinz OP t1_iva4kwa wrote

Reply to comment by orein123 in During heart transplanting, how does the body survive before the heart is replaced? by harkhinz

Wow, I'm ignorant of a lot of things in medicine, I used to think that once the heart stops, the body goes dead.

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orein123 t1_ivbd6l9 wrote

Gets even better when we acknowledge the fact that our medical definition of "dead" is very convoluted. Dying isn't something that happens all at once, so pinpointing the exact moment someone dies is a bit tricky.

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fishmakegoodpets t1_iva7frf wrote

Technically, yes. When the heart stops beating a person is “dead”. CPR is performed on technically dead patients.

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Darkranger23 t1_ivb9tdw wrote

That's not true at all. CPR is performed in the field on non-responsive patients who aren't breathing. Depending on level of training, you may or may not bother looking for a pulse.

In hospitals, CPR will be performed when the heart stops moving blood effectively. There are several ineffective rhythms the heart may be in. None of which would classify the patient as dead.

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