Dr. Martin Tobin's opinion of Floyd's death

[Diesel]

The defense's medical experts are going to say something else, but the prosecution hit the first home run today.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/der...-21/index.html

Dr. Martin Tobin, a physician in pulmonary and critical care medicine, testified after having reviewed the medical records in the Floyd case.

"Mr. Floyd died from a low level of oxygen," Tobin testified. "And this caused damage to his brain that we see and it also caused a PEA arrhythmia, that caused his heart to stop."

PEA means pulseless electrical activity, "which is a particular form of abnormal beat of heart — an arrhythmia," he explained.

He also shared his opinion on the cause for the low level of oxygen in Floyd. "The cause of the low level of oxygen was shallow breathing. Small breaths. Small tidal volumes. Shallow breaths that weren't able to carry the air through his lungs down to the essential areas of the lungs that get oxygen into the blood and get rid of the carbon dioxide."

Tobin also testified that fentanyl did not have an effect in "causing depression of the respiratory centers" in Floyd. Tobin said that with fentanyl, Floyd's respiratory rate should have been 10, instead the rate was at 22, which is normal.

"Basically it tells you that there isn't fentanyl on board that is affecting his respiratory centers. It's not having an effect on his respiratory centers," Tobin told the prosecution.

Tobin noted that the normal range for a respiratory rate is between 12 and 22. Tobin testified that Floyd's respiratory rate was 22 just before he lost consciousness.