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Guidelines for sites linking to mayoclinic.orgIntro: All too often we hear stories of tragedy - of people dying on their way to the emergency room after a sudden sickness or accident. But today we have a story of hope. The man you're about to meet was virtually dead when he arrived at the E.R. Not breathing. No pulse. He was blue. Most people in that condition for too long never recover. If they do, there's a high risk of brain damage. So how did Mr. Arish Rountree beat those odds? Let's go to Mayo Clinic to find out.
| Video | Audio |
| Total running time 1:27 | AT FIRST ARISH ROUNTREE WAS JUST A LITTLE SHORT OF BREATH. |
Arish Rountree |
"AT ONE TIME I WAS HYPERVENTILLATING. IT WAS LIKE I COULDN'T GET A GOOD ENOUGH BREATH. I WAS GOING ... " |
| BUT EN ROUTE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, ARISH SUDDENLY GOT WORSE. HE TURNED TO HIS WIFE SHIRLEY AND SAID ... | |
| Arish Rountree | "I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT." |
Chris Stewart, M.D. Mayo Clinic Emergency Department |
"HE HAD NO SIGNS OF LIFE WHEN HE CAME IN." |
| DR. CHRIS STEWART HEADED THE TEAM THAT TRIED TO PUMP LIFE BACK INTO ARISH. THE SITUATION DIDN'T LOOK GOOD. | |
| Chris Stewart, M.D. | "HE WAS GREY AND NOT BREATHING AND WE COULDN'T GET A PULSE ON HIM. IT WAS A RESPIRATORY ARREST." |
| Animation | POSSIBLY CAUSED BY AN UNDERLYING LUNG CONDITION CALLED SARCOIDOSIS. THE DISEASE FORMS SCAR TISSUE IN YOUR LUNGS, AND CAN PROMPT BRONCHIAL SPASMS SIMILAR TO AN ASTHMA ATTACK. |
| Chris Stewart, M.D. | "SO WE INTUBATED HIM AND WE STARTED GIVING HIM OXYGEN." |
Standup Vivien Williams Reporting |
BUT BY THAT TIME ARISH HADN'T HAD A BREATH FOR MORE THAN TEN MINUTES. LONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE AND DEATH. |
Chris Stewart, M.D. to Arish reading with granddaughter |
"IF I SEE 100 PATIENTS, 98 OR 99 OF THEM WILL PRONOUNCE IF THEY COME IN WITH NO PULSE AND NO BLOOD PRESSURE AND NOT BREATHING. IT TURNS OUT HE WAS AN UNUSUAL CASE." |
| Arish Rountree | "THIS IS B. B HAS FOUR BEARS." |
| VO: Arish reading | UNUSUAL BECAUSE ARISH MADE A FULL RECOVERY THAT NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN. |
| Arish Rountree | "SURE IT WAS MIRACULOUS." |
| TO HAVE COME BACK FROM NEAR DEATH AND TO BE ABLE TO WALK WITH HIS FAMILY AND READ TO HIS BELOVED GRANDDAUGHTER. | |
| Lamya | "I PRAYED FOR HIM." |
| Arish Rountree | "SHE PRAYED FOR ME." |
| ANSWERED PRAYERS AND A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE. | |
| FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. |
Tag: Dr. Stewart says Arish was very lucky to have that second chance. Very few people recover completely after not breathing for so long. And had Arish not responded so quickly to treatment, he likely would not have made it. To learn more, log onto ...
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