Forty-two minutes! That’s how long an Italian boy named Michael was trapped underwater after jumping off a bridge with some friends in Milan. It took rescuers an incredible amount of time just to pull him from the canal’s murky waters. Despite being presumed dead on scene, the boy survived.
His doctor called it the “greatest satisfaction of my entire professional career.”
Via the Independent:
…the cold water had helped save his life because it caused a slowdown of his vital functions.
The team also used a technique called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to extract oxygen-deprived blood, warm it up and add oxygen, before pumping it back into the body, The Times reported.
For now, the boy appears to be without brain damage, though it’s impossible to tell what kind of long-term effects he will have. During his medically induced coma, his right leg was amputated below the knee due to lack of circulation.
All that being said, Michael is in wonderful spirits, and the 14-year-old even asked the doctor for a mojito.
(Via the Independent)