Dead For 40 Minutes

DeadFor40Minutes

Colin Fielder, a 39 year old man, had a heart attack and was clinically dead for 40 minutes. When the ambulance arrived he was conscious and he made a decision that changed his life forever. This decision was going to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. They’re testing two machines; one called the AutoPulse and the other is a heart-pulse machine. The AutoPulse is a mechanical CPR device that continuously performs chest compressions. The heart-pulse machine blood and oxygen through the bodies vital organs. While these two are working it gives doctors time to pin point how the heart attack occurred.

Choosing the Alfred Hospital saved his life. They are the only hospital with this equipment and it has already saved three out of seven people from cardiac arrest including him.  The same type of skills are used; however, the AutoPulse squeezes the entire chest opposed to one spot where your hands would normally go. The pump is non-invasive and with help from the heart-pulse, the risk of having permanent damage after the cardiac arrest and slim to none.

Since the first use of the AutoPulse in 2003, there has been a study done by the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) where 29 patients have been examined after the use of it. It has shown that the AutoPulse caused a greater increase in diastolic blood pressure opposed to manual heart compressions.

From:

http://www.collegenews.com/article/dead_for_40_minutes_miracle_technology_revives_patient

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/13/man-brought-back-to-life-after-being-clinically-dead-for-40-minutes/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/dead-for-40-minutes_n_3272438.html

3 thoughts on “Dead For 40 Minutes

  1. Sarah Abdallah

    This is crazy. I can’t believe that it is even possible for that to happen. Once you’re dead you’re dead, but if this could become a frequent occurrence wouldn’t this just change the game of life completely? There have been so many people that said they have seen the light and came back. I know that science does not recognize those instances, but it does recognize things like this. Which are in essence miracles due to science

  2. Connor Baun

    In a traumatic situation such as this (partial death?) I am most curious about what this man’s experience is what he personally experienced in this situation during this 40 minute period of his life technically being over. I am skeptical about this man’s possibility of being dead because I though, like another commenter said, that long without bloodflow to the brain leads to death of brain cells which cannot be recovered and causes permanent comatose or even just death. I am curious what he himself experienced in this situation, however, was it just a blank space in his memory, or did he see a light, or what?

  3. Danielle Parisi

    if your heart fails than there is no blood flow to your brain for 40 minutes, even if the doctors used this machine to restart his heart the person would be left brain dead. Essentially the person would unable to breathe or pump their heart on their own without a machine. The person would be unable to move or virtually do anything. The brain needs constant blood flow, going without blood for 40 mins it no longer matters if you can restart your heart bc your brain is already useless.

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