Against all odds: How 45-min CPR brought 63-year-old back from dead
In a remarkable turn of events, a 63-year-old woman who suffered a cardiac arrest at Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital was successfully resuscitated after an intense 45-minute session of continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed by a dedicated medical team.

Published reports have documented similar cases in the past, with the longest reported CPR session resulting in the survival of a person after an almost six-hour continuous CPR in Italy.

The medical team in Delhi remained optimistic about the woman's brain function as the cardiac arrest occurred within the hospital premises. This motivated them to persist with CPR for an extended duration, recognising the higher chances of survival. The patient's positive response to the resuscitation efforts further encouraged the team to continue until she was successfully revived.

"Basanti Devi, a housewife from Uttarakhand, was visiting her daughter in Noida when she experienced chest pain and was rushed to the emergency room of the hospital. Moments after her arrival, she went into cardiac arrest," said doctors. Dr Misha Bansal led the emergency team in immediately initiating CPR and using a defibrillator in a relentless effort to restart Basanti Devi's heart. After 45 minutes of uninterrupted resuscitation, her heart began beating independently.

Emphasising the significance of this case involving an elder patient, Dr Samir Kubba, lead cardiologist at the hospital, said, "Every second counts in cardiac emergencies. Our team's persistence and the advanced life support techniques available at our facility were crucial in giving the patient a second chance at life."

A recent BMJ study highlights the relationship between CPR duration and survival chances during cardiac arrest. The research shows that after one minute of chest compressions, the survival probability is 22%, but it drops to less than 1% after 39 minutes of uninterrupted compressions. These findings emphasise the importance of immediate CPR administration by trained individuals until professional medical help arrives.

Following Basanti Devi's revival, she was transported to the cardiac catheterisation lab, where Dr Kubba and his team performed an emergency angiography. They discovered a 100% blockage in a major heart artery and significant blockages in two others.

Dr Raghav Aggarwal, associate cardiologist, explained, "We immediately performed a primary angioplasty, opening the blocked artery and placing a stent to maintain blood flow. This rapid intervention was vital in minimising heart muscle damage and giving the patient the best chance of recovery."

The patient, who had a close brush with death, was released from the hospital on Aug 8, a mere five days after the incident. Doctors have arranged a follow-up appointment to provide additional care.

Sushma Maher, the patient's daughter, expressed gratitude for the extraordinary care that saved her mother's life. The family experienced a harrowing ordeal when the woman collapsed in their presence, and despite the doctors' unceasing efforts to resuscitate her through CPR, they had feared the worst. However, when the medical team announced her successful revival, it seemed nothing short of a miraculous intervention.