Bringing Patients Back to Life
July 2, 2009 by Cherie Burbach
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
When Michael Jackson was taken to the UCLA Medical Center last week, he had the best chance around for being revived. The center is known for literally bringing patients that have died back to life. Apparently one doctor at the center “has pioneered a way to revive people that most doctors would have long written off, including a woman whose heart had stopped for 2 1/2 hours.”
They tested their technique on cardiac patients who, with any other hospital, would most likely die. The results were amazing, with an 80% survival rate. However, patients needed very quick treatment in order to be revived. Treatment consisted of:
- Prompt CPR — rhythmic chest compressions — to maintain blood pressure until the patient gets to a hospital.
- Use of a heart-lung machine to keep blood and oxygen moving through the body while doctors remedy what caused the heart to quiver or stop in the first place, such as a drug overdose or a clogged artery.
- Special procedures and medicines to gradually restore blood and oxygen flow, so a sudden gush does not cause fresh damage.
This new method of revival is greatly extending the timeframe when someone thought to be dead could be brought back.
Image: sxc.hu.
