Media Report

Back from
the dead
Aussie breakthrough
revives heart patients
Herald Sun, Melbourne
13 May 2013, by Christian Dougherty
General News, page 5 - 707.73 cm²
Capital City Daily - circulation 460,370 (MTWTFS-)
Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL)
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Back from the dead
Aussie breakthrough
revives heart patients
Christian Dougherty and
Lucie van den Berg
A VICTORIAN man who was
clinically dead for 40 minutes
has been brought back to life
by an Australian-first resuscitation
technique.
Dandenong’s Colin Fiedler,
39, was one of three cardiac
arrest patients brought
back to life after being dead
for between 40 and 60 minutes
at The Alfred hospital,
using two new techniques in
the emergency department.
The Alfred is trialling a
mechanical CPR machine,
which performs constant
chest compressions, and a
portable heart-lung machine
— normally used in theatre —
to keep oxygen and blood
flowing to the patient’s brain
and vital organs.
Mr Fiedler had a heart
attack and was clinically
dead for 40 minutes before
being revived last June.
‘‘I’m so grateful, more than
I could ever say,’’ he told the
Herald Sun.
So far, seven cardiac
arrest patients have been
treated with the AutoPulse
treated with the AutoPulse
machine and extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation.
Three patients were successfully
revived after being
clinically dead for 40 to 60
minutes.
It allows doctors to diagnose
the cause of the cardiac
arrest and treat it, but
keep blood and oxygen flowing
to the vital organs and
brain, which reduces the
risk of permanent disability.
Mr Fiedler is one of the
three patients who were
revived and returned home
without disability. In the
ambulance, paramedics had
given him a choice of two
hospitals.
‘‘For some reason, I said
The Alfred, which is pretty
lucky because they are the
only one that has it,’’ he
said.
Since his heart attack, he
has turned over a new leaf,
quitting smoking and no
longer sweats the small stuff.
The system is available
only at The Alfred, but
senior intensive care physsenior
intensive care physician
Professor Stephen
Bernard said the results
from the first two years of
the trial were exciting and
he hoped to eventually
expand the system across
Melbourne.
Prof Bernard said it
required three trained
intensive-care physicians
and all the machinery ready
to go on site, which no other
hospital in Victoria had.
AutoPulse is available only
in three ambulances, but
Prof Bernard said the company
that distributed the
CPR machine had offered to
provide more machines.
‘‘We are looking to where to
best implement these
machines around Melbourne,’’
he said.
Ambulance Victoria also
used the AutoPulse machine
to save the life of former junior
world champion swimmer
Clare Carney after a cardiac
arrest last year.