Read the text below.
A study recently reported a rare medical case involving a man who was conscious while undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Presented at a medical conference in Copenhagen [koh-puh n-HEY-guh n, –HAH-, KOH-puh n-hey-, –hah-], Denmark, the study discussed the case of a 69-year-old man who experienced a cardiac arrest. To revive the man, a team of paramedics and physicians performed CPR, a lifesaving procedure done through chest compressions to provide blood to the brain and other body organs.
Usually, CPR is done for only 20 minutes because the procedure can disrupt blood flow to the brain. Such disruption can result in death or vegetative brain damage. But for the man’s extremely rare case, CPR was done for 90 minutes.
Dr. Rune Sarauw Lundsgaard [luh-ndz-guh rd], the assigned physician on the case, said that the medical team continued to administer CPR because the patient showed signs of responsiveness. These signs included moving his eyes, lifting his limbs, and nodding his head. Dr. Lundsgaard added that the man would lose consciousness when CPR was stopped.
According to Dr. Sam Parnia, lead author of a similar study, exhibiting such extent of consciousness when receiving CPR is uncommon. He explained that the amount of blood flowing to the brain during the procedure is still inadequate for a person to show consciousness with indications of being awake
There is another case that illustrated the possibility of being conscious while receiving CPR.
In 2015, a 55-year-old man from Nebraska, United States, was still able to speak and move while undergoing mechanical CPR. The medical team was communicating with him during the procedure, but he was eventually sedated to counter his prolonged consciousness.