Science & Technology

Woman survives being dead for 42 minutes

By T.K. Randall
August 20, 2013 ·  11 comments

Image Credit: CC 2.0 Rama Vanessa was rushed to Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne where she was declared clinically dead within minutes of arriving. Her heart attack had been brought on by a blocked artery, prompting surgeons to attempt a procedure to remove the blockage. To give her a fighting chance, a sophisticated new compression device called a "Lucas 2" was employed to help keep blood flowing to her brain. Able to perform chest compressions like a person doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the unique machine is the only one of it's kind in Australia.

Despite being clinically dead for a whole 42 minutes, doctors eventually managed to clear the blockage and restart her heart. "I remember being on my couch, then the floor, then arriving at hospital, and then two days go missing," said Vanessa. "I was dead for nearly an hour and only a week later I feel great. It's surreal."[!gad]Vanessa was rushed to Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne where she was declared clinically dead within minutes of arriving. Her heart attack had been brought on by a blocked artery, prompting surgeons to attempt a procedure to remove the blockage. To give her a fighting chance, a sophisticated new compression device called a "Lucas 2" was employed to help keep blood flowing to her brain. Able to perform chest compressions like a person doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the unique machine is the only one of it's kind in Australia.

Despite being clinically dead for a whole 42 minutes, doctors eventually managed to clear the blockage and restart her heart. "I remember being on my couch, then the floor, then arriving at hospital, and then two days go missing," said Vanessa. "I was dead for nearly an hour and only a week later I feel great. It's surreal."

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (11)

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