No Heartbeat for 40 Hours: Man in His 40s Revived in ‘Medical Miracle'

In a case that has stunned the medical community across the world, a Chinese man in his 40s has survived nearly 40 hours without a heartbeat after suffering a cardiac arrest. Doctors are calling it nothing short of a “medical miracle,” made possible by advanced life-support technology and relentless medical care.

Emergency physician Lu Xiao shared the case from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine on his social media account. According to reports published in theSouth China Morning Post, the patient collapsed due to sudden cardiac arrest, and repeated defibrillation attempts failed to restore his heartbeat and bring him back.

With no pulse detected, the situation appeared dire. However, the medical team then decided to deploy Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) - a highly advanced life-support system that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs.

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ECMO works by circulating blood outside the body, adding oxygen, and removing carbon dioxide, which essentially acts as an artificial heart and lung. This allows the body’s vital organs to continue functioning even when the heart has stopped.

In this extraordinary case, ECMO sustained the patient for nearly two days without a natural heartbeat. Over time, the man’s heart function gradually returned to normal. He remained on ECMO support for about 10 days before being weaned off the machine.

ECMO sustained the patient's heartbeat for nearly two days without a natural heartbeat

Reports say the patient’s recovery was even more astonishing. After approximately 20 days in hospital care, he was able to walk out on his own - without any major complications such as stroke, kidney failure, or long-term neurological damage, which are common risks after prolonged cardiac arrest.

Doctors emphasized that such outcomes are extremely rare. Survival rates for cardiac arrest using conventional CPR alone are often as low as 1 per cent. However, ECMO can increase survival rates to as high as 50 per cent in carefully selected cases.

While ECMO is a powerful life-saving tool, it is not without risks. Patients require constant monitoring to balance two major dangers:

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