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Australian Man Brought Back to Life after Being Dead for Nearly an Hour [VIDEO]

By Makini Brice | Update Date: May 14, 2013 09:56 AM EDT

A man in Australia was clinically dead for 40 minutes before doctors brought him back to life. Even more astonishingly, the man suffered no disability from his time with one foot in the grave.

Colin Fiedler, the man from Victoria, Australia who was brought back to life after 40 minutes, has suffered no damage from his cardiac arrest. Just 39 years old when he suffered a heart attack, Fiedler says he has taken the opportunity to complete reform his life, quitting smoking and avoiding stress over little things.

When in the ambulance, he was given an option between two hospitals, Headlines and Global News reports. Fortunately, Mr. Fielder picked The Alfred - because they are the only hospital in Australia with the technique that saved his life.

The resuscitation technique has only been used seven times in the world, and has saved three people's lives in Australia alone. Called the AutoPulse machine, it is a CPR machine that performs constant chest and lung compressions, news.com.au reports. The technique also requires the use of a heart and lung machine, which keeps oxygen and blood flowing throughout the body, most importantly to the patient's brain and other organs. The brain is also cooled to 32 degrees Celsius, the hospital says in a statement.

Though the machines may seem like rather simple technology, they have proved to be an immense help. Because blood and oxygen is still able to circulate, it gives doctors a bit more time to diagnose the cause of cardiac arrest and to treat it. It also prevents disability.

In fact, in the case of the three people who have been saved with use of the machine, people were resuscitated between 40 and 60 minutes after being labeled clinically dead. However, all of them are now fine; none suffered any of the brain damage that is generally typical of people who are resuscitated after a long stretch of time.

So far, in Australia, the system is only in place in the Alfred hospital. In order to have the success that they have had, the hospital requires three trained intensive-care physicians and the machinery ready to go at a moment's notice. The hospital, which is testing the machine right now in a two-year trial, plans to expand the technique across Melbourne.

In addition, the machine is available only in three of the hospital's ambulances, but they are hoping to add more.

A video on the machine can be found below.

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