Doctors measured gases in Floyd's blood and saw extremely high carbon dioxide levels, again suggesting lack of sufficient oxygen. Defibrillators to shock a heart back into normal rhythm do not work in a situation like Floyd’s. A narcotics antidote such as Narcan also does not help once someone is in cardiac arrest, Langenfeld said. Floyd had been in cardiac arrest before arriving at the hospital and doctors worked on him for roughly half an hour after his arrival. After his heart activity stopped altogether — “flatlining” Langenfeld called it — the doctor pronounced him dead.

Source: ABC News April 05, 2021 19:41 UTC