Melbourne: In a near-miraculous incident, doctors in Australia have saved the life of a 41-year-old woman who was clinically dead for 42 minutes after suffering a major heart attack.
Vanessa Tanasio was rushed to hospital last week after the heart attack, but was declared clinically dead soon after arrival.
Doctors at Melbourne`s Monash Heart hospital managed to unblock vital arteries and return her heart to a normal rhythm, using a high-tech machine that kept blood flowing to Tanasio`s brain, AAP news agency reported.
Hospital authorities described her survival as "astonishing".
Tanasio, a mother of two from Narre Warren, Melbourne, needed numerous defibrillator shocks, including one in the ambulance on her way to hospital, doctors said.
"I`m feeling excellent. For someone who has been dead for nearly an hour of this week I am feeling tremendously well," Tanasio said.
Emergency medics used a device called LUCAS 2 to keep her blood flowing while doctors worked to unblock the arteries to her heart.
Tanasio, a sales representative, said she had no history of heart problems, the report said.
"This has taken me completely by surprise. I am relieved to still be here for my children," she said.
PTI
