As a medical professional, I can tell you that the human brain is particularly vulnerable to oxygen deprivation. Critical thinking and consciousness can be impaired within just a couple of minutes without oxygen. However, the brain cells start to die after about six minutes of oxygen deprivation, which is why the "golden minutes" concept is crucial in emergency situations like cardiac arrest. Immediate CPR can help maintain some blood flow to the brain and is vital in preventing brain damage. Beyond this timeframe, the risk of permanent brain damage increases significantly. read more >>

The brain can survive for up to about six minutes after the heart stops. The reason to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is that if CPR is started within six minutes of cardiac arrest, the brain may survive the lack of oxygen. After about six minutes without CPR, however, the brain begins to die.read more >>