Man loses heartbeat for 45 minutes, regains by rare medical procedure

Normally when a person's heart stops functioning, and if resuscitation also fails within a few minutes, he is decalred dead. This was not so in the case of 38-year-old Jaisukhbhai Thakkar of Gujarat, who survived a failed heart for 45 minutes and still regained heartbeat. The wonder took place at the Fortis Malar Hospital in Chennai. Jaisukhbhai was suffering from a heart ailment. He flew in from Porbandar to Chennai and got admitted to the hospital, awaiting a heart replacement. Till a heart replacement was found, Jaisukhbhai was being administered medicines. During the wait, his heart stopped beat. The doctors tried various methods, and were successful in making the heart to beat by a complicated procedure called Extra-Corporeal Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation. The procedure helped them make Jaisukhbhai's heart to beat again. But then, following the procedure, Jaisukhbhai went into a coma for about 10 days. Meanwhile, the replacement heart had arrived. On the tenth day, when Jaisukhbhai regained consciousness, the heart replacement was done, giving him a fresh lease of life. The hospital authorities have announced that Jaisukhbhai is ready for discharge from the hospital.