The trend of 'catching pens' to get high can cause brain damage and cardiac arrest

A student uses his fingers to press hard on both sides of another student's neck (young people call it the "pen catching" trend) to find a feeling of euphoria - Photo: XM captured

Recently, social networks have seen many videos of a trend called "pen catching". One person will use both hands to press hard on the neck of another person, causing them to fall into a state of drowsiness and then temporarily faint.

This trend has attracted many young people to participate, especially students. According to comments from many accounts that have done this trend, they will feel "high", then slowly pass out and need someone to wake them up afterwards.

Dangerous action

Looking at the images of young people doing the above trend, Associate Professor Nguyen Huy Thang - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Stroke Association, and Head of the Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases at People's Hospital 115 - commented:

"Perhaps the young men used their hands to press on the neck to compress the internal carotid arteries on both sides, just to get a "high" feeling, losing consciousness for a few seconds but not anticipating the possible consequences."

Analyzing more clearly the action of pressing hard on the neck area with both hands is dangerous, Associate Professor Thang said that there are two main blood vessel systems to supply blood to the brain, including: two carotid arteries (anterior circulation) responsible for 70-80% of the brain's needs and the vertebral artery - basilar (posterior circulation) responsible for the remaining 20-30% of blood needs.

The anterior-posterior and lateral vascular systems are interconnected through the circle of Willis (like a traffic circle), to ensure that blood supply to the brain remains stable when one side fails.

In the two internal carotid arteries in the neck, there is also a carotid sinus that regulates heart rate and blood pressure.

Therefore, the action of squeezing both sides of the carotid artery will cause a serious reduction in cerebral blood flow (because it is responsible for 70 - 80% of blood flow to the brain). If you remove your hand quickly, it will cause dizziness, fainting, and transient loss of consciousness.

Possible brain damage, cardiac arrest

In case of compression for too long, Associate Professor Thang said it can cause stroke due to anemia, especially when there is a pre-existing condition of blood vessel stenosis but is not known, or it can also cause brain damage due to increased reperfusion syndrome.

If the pressure is too strong, it can also damage the carotid artery. Most dangerously, neck compression can irritate the carotid sinus, which can slow the heart rate and cause cardiac arrest.

"This is a dangerous practice that needs to be stopped on social networks. It is absolutely not a game to risk trying to find a feeling," Associate Professor Thang emphasized.

Similarly, Associate Professor Nguyen Hoai Nam - President of the Ho Chi Minh City Phlebology Association - warned that when pressing on the carotid artery suddenly, two cases will occur.

First, temporary brain ischemia causes dizziness and falls.

Second, it causes a reflex to the carotid artery (innervated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems), causing sudden cardiac arrest.

"Absolutely do not do this. Even when joking, if you accidentally hit the carotid artery in the neck, it is very dangerous and can cause sudden cardiac arrest," Mr. Nam warned.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trao-luu-bat-pen-tim-cam-giac-phe-lim-co-the-ton-thuong-nao-ngung-tim-20241011123153485.htm