Why does someone vomit or foam at the mouth during a cardiac arrest?
Both are common during a cardiac arrest and resuscitation. When the heart stops, muscles throughout the body relax, including those that normally keep the stomach contents down. Chest compressions can also push air into the stomach, and the pressure of CPR itself can trigger vomiting. Foam around the mouth happens when air mixes with saliva and fluid in the airway as the person gasps or as compressions move air in and out of the lungs.
Neither vomiting nor foaming means anything was done wrong, and neither caused the cardiac arrest. They are distressing to see, but they are normal bodily responses to the heart stopping. If you witnessed this and the images stay with you, that is a normal reaction to an abnormal event, and support is available.
Category: Cardiac ArrestWhy did I freeze when I witnessed a cardiac arrest?
Freezing is one of the brain’s built-in responses to sudden, overwhelming danger, alongside fight and flight. When you witness a cardiac arrest, your body floods with adrenaline and your thinking brain can briefly go offline. Some people act, some run for help, and some freeze. None of these is a choice, and none reflects your character, courage, or how much you cared about the person.
Many people who froze carry guilt for a long time afterwards, replaying the scene and wondering what might have been different. If that sounds familiar, please know that you are far from alone, and that talking it through helps. Your GP can refer you for support, and many people in our community have been exactly where you are now.
Category: Psychological SupportWhy do ribs break during CPR?
Effective chest compressions need to push the breastbone down by at least 5 to 6 centimetres, hard and fast. That amount of force can crack or break ribs, particularly in older people or those with weaker bones. It is a common and well recognised consequence of CPR, not a sign that anything was done wrong.
Rib fractures are painful and can take weeks to heal, but they are rarely life threatening. The alternative, compressions that are too shallow, would not circulate blood to the brain and vital organs. If you performed CPR and ribs broke, you did it right. If you survived a cardiac arrest and your chest hurts, that pain is part of the price of being alive, and it will ease with time.
Category: CPRIs agonal breathing a sign of life?
No. Agonal breathing is a brain stem reflex, not real breathing. The person is unresponsive, the heart is not circulating blood, and oxygen is not reaching the body. Without immediate CPR and defibrillation, they will die.
This is one of the most dangerous misunderstandings in bystander response to cardiac arrest. Because the chest still moves and there is still some sound of breathing, witnesses often assume the person is breathing normally. They wait for paramedics instead of starting CPR. By the time help arrives, the chance of survival has often gone.
If someone is unresponsive and you see agonal breathing, treat it as cardiac arrest. Call 999 and start chest compressions. You cannot make things worse, but you can save a life.
Category: Agonal BreathingWhat does agonal breathing sound like?
Agonal breathing usually sounds like loud snoring, gurgling, choking, or moaning. Some people describe it as a wet rasping noise or a low groan. It is not the soft, regular sound of normal breathing, and it comes in slow gasps rather than a steady rhythm.
Witnesses often describe being startled by how loud the sound is. It can be loud enough to wake someone in another room, which is sometimes how a cardiac arrest at home is first noticed. Despite how dramatic the sound is, the person making it is unresponsive and not breathing properly.
Category: Cardiac ArrestHow do I know if someone is in cardiac arrest?
A person is likely to be in cardiac arrest if they are unresponsive and not breathing normally. The key signs are:
Unresponsive: they do not react when you tap their shoulders and call to them.
Not breathing normally: they are making no breathing movements, or they are making occasional gasping or snorting sounds. These gasps \u2014 known as agonal breathing \u2014 are a sign of cardiac arrest and should not be mistaken for normal breathing.
You should not spend more than 10 seconds checking for breathing. If you are not sure whether someone is breathing normally, treat them as if they are in cardiac arrest \u2014 call 999 and start CPR immediately.
You do not need to check for a pulse. Unless you are a trained healthcare professional, pulse checks are unreliable and take too long. If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR. You cannot make the situation worse by acting.
Category: Cardiac ArrestIs it normal to feel traumatised after witnessing a cardiac arrest?
Yes — even if you were not the one who performed CPR, witnessing a cardiac arrest is a profoundly shocking experience. Seeing someone you love collapse, not knowing whether they would survive, spending days or weeks at a hospital bedside, and then navigating their recovery at home can all leave lasting psychological effects.
What you experienced meets the criteria for a potentially traumatic event. It is entirely normal to have intrusive thoughts, disturbing dreams, difficulty concentrating, heightened anxiety, fear of it happening again, or periods of low mood — even weeks or months after the event. You may also find yourself feeling emotionally numb or detached, or swinging between feeling fine and feeling overwhelmed.
These are not signs of weakness. They are signs that something very frightening happened to you, and your mind and body are still processing it. Many co-survivors find that symptoms reduce naturally over time with the support of people around them. Others find that symptoms persist or worsen, in which case professional support is recommended.
Talk to your GP about what you are experiencing. You can also contact Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK to connect with others who understand what you have been through.
Category: Psychological SupportWhat is a co-survivor?
A co-survivor is a family member, partner, friend, or colleague who was present at a cardiac arrest or closely affected by it. The term recognises that a cardiac arrest is a traumatic event not just for the person who experienced it, but for everyone around them — particularly those who witnessed the collapse, performed CPR, called 999, or waited at the hospital not knowing whether their loved one would survive.
Co-survivors are sometimes called secondary survivors. Their psychological needs are distinct from those of the survivor themselves, but equally real and equally valid. Research consistently shows that co-survivors experience high rates of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and fear of recurrence — often persisting long after the survivor has been discharged home and is visibly recovering.
Despite this, co-survivors frequently report that their needs go unrecognised by healthcare services, which tend to focus on the patient. If you are a co-survivor, your experience matters. Support is available — through peer support networks, psychological services, and organisations such as Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK.
Category: Co-survivors