In his highly anticipated second book, CHEATING DEATH, available via booksellers after October 12, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recounts extraordinary stories of people who have survived exceptional medical emergencies – and the courageous doctors who helped save them against all odds – and oftenagainst standard protocol. A companion documentary, Another Day: Cheating Death, will debut on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18 at 8pm, 11pm, and 2am, and on CNN International on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25 (check local listings for airtimes). Gupta will discuss his book and documentary on Larry King Live on Thursday, October 8 at 9pm. All times Eastern.
Ten years ago, Anna Bagenholm was a 29-year-old Norwegian medical resident on a ski excursion when an accident landed her head first, in a freezing stream. In his book and documentary, Gupta recounts how Bagenholm’s core body temperature dipped to 56°F. She was clinically dead for three hours, yet doctors still managed to reviveher. Despite staggering odds, Bagenholm eventually made a full recovery. Gupta describes the “miracle” of her survival as not due to luck, but instead as the result of evidence-based calibrations and her experienced medical team, led by emergency physician Dr. Mads Gilbert.
Also among the stories Gupta tells for the documentary, is that of cardiac arrest survivor Chris Brooks, who lives largely because he is treated by an “Ice Doctor,” Gupta’s name for doctors who induce medical hypothermia to treat certain patients. Cold appears to slow metabolism enough to give doctors time to treat the underlying conditions, though a University of Chicago survey showed that fewer than 250 of the nation’s 6,000 hospitals practice “medical hypothermia.”
For the book, Gupta describes how school bus driver Mike Mertz collapsed at the wheel of his car in Glendale, Ariz. He survived because the Good Samaritan who found him, and the responding paramedics, used a new type of CPR. They administered rapid chest compressions on Mertz without pausing for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It took years of carefully collected case evidence, and a determined group of physicians, to change the CPR protocol in Arizona to de-emphasize artificial breathing. Despite statistics that show it markedly improves outcomes – Arizona remains the only state to adopt the new method, statewide.
Gupta’s book and documentary offer insights from his reporting and his professional experiences gathered over 15 years as a practicing neurosurgeon. Viewers are also encouraged to share their own stories of survival with him via Twitter @sanjayguptacnn. Gupta and others who have studied extraordinary survivors’ experiences will offer additional compelling stories of medical insights that are changing the boundary between life and death on www.cnnhealth.com. Excerpts from the book can also be found on the website. The documentary will be available via iTunes and Amazon.com after its broadcast premiere.
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