Colin Fiedler, Declared Clinically Dead For 40 Minutes Before Coming Back To Life Using A New CPR Machine After A Heart Attack In Australia

An Australian Man who had suffered a heart attack was considered to be clinically dead for about 40 minutes before being brought back to life with the help  of a new CPR technique.

The man, Colin Fiedler, 39, was one of three cardiac patients who were brought back to life in The Alfred Hospital, in Melbourne, that day, according to the International Design Times.  He was dead for 40 minutes and was miraculously brought back to life with a new kind of machine.

The Herald Sun reports that Fiedler said, "I'm so grateful, more than I could ever say," according to IDT.  He was given the choice of two different hospitals, according to News.com.au.  "For some reason, I said The Alfred, which is pretty lucky because they are the only one that has [the 'AutoPulse' treatment]," he said.  He, and two other patients, were able to be brought back to life after between 40 and 60 minutes of being declared dead, the Herald Sun reports.

The automated CPR machine that was used to revive Fiedler was called the 'AutoPulse' and it was paired with a portable heart and lung machine that would keep blood and oxygen flowing to his vital organs, according to the Huffington Post.

The new CPR machine, which is currently in it's trial period, performs constant chest compressions automatically, while the portable heart and lung machine keep blood and oxygen flow to the brain and other vital organs, News.com.au reports.  Only seven cardiac arrest patients have been treated with the 'AutoPulse' paired with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation so far.

News.com reports that the machine allows doctors to diagnose the cause of the cardiac arrest as well as figure out a way to treat it.  Meanwhile. the continued flow of blood an oxygen reduced the risk of any permanent disability.  Professor Steven Bernard, the senior intensive care physician, said that the results from the first to years of the machine's trial have been exciting and he hopes to eventually expand use of the system across Melbourne.

Since his heart attack, 'death,' and miraculous revival, Fiedler has turned over a new leaf, according to News.com.  He has quit smoking and has decided to approach his life in a more stress-free way, without worrying about the small things.