Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get StartedComplications
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen sudden cardiac arrest occurs, your brain is the first part of your body to suffer because, unlike other organs, it doesn't have a reserve of oxygen-rich blood. It's completely dependent on an uninterrupted supply of blood. Reduced blood flow to your brain causes unconsciousness.
If your heart rhythm doesn't rapidly return to its normal rhythm, brain damage occurs and death results. If sudden cardiac arrest lasts more than 10 minutes, the survival rate is less than 5 percent. Survivors of cardiac arrest may show signs of brain damage.