November 1, 2010 - After a heart attack victim stops breathing, a process of irreversible brain damage starts to occur within three to four minutes. But a new technique may significantly delay that damage.
While researching cardiac arrest, Jeffrey Dobkin read about a boy drowning in icy waters. Although submerged for more than half an hour the boy was rescued, resuscitated and he recovered completely.
Dobkin was curious as to how a drowning victim could experience no brain damage. He also wanted to see if the same principle could be applied to heart attack victims.
After researching the subject, Dobkin believes brain damage that occurs when someone's heart stops beating can be delayed for up to an hour.
"Cold water drowning victims survive without brain damage because of the triggering of the 'Mammalian Diving Reflex.' This natural reflex is solely responsible for delaying brain death," Dobkin said. "And the specific trigger of the diving reflex is a facial immersion in cold water."
The technique to delay brain damage in heart attack victims is simple: Immediately apply cold, wet compresses to the victim’s face. The emergency time-buying procedure delays brain damage until emergency medical personnel arrive. It works in conjunction with CPR.
"The eyes, the ophthalmic nerve, are the trigger points," says Dobkin. The Dobkin-Trigger Technique immediately starts to delay brain damage and gives emergency medical personnel a much greater "golden window" to respond to non-breathing victims than four minutes.
The Dobkin Technique works in heart attack victims - the fourth largest cause of death in the United States. It works to delay brain damage when the oxygen supply to the brain is shut off (Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy) for any reason, including drug overdose, choking, stroke, suffocation, electrocution.
For more information: www.BrainInjuryFoundation.org