Armadale, Perth February 12: An Indian doctoer, Dr Ash Mukherjee, working at the Emergency department of the Armadale Hospital in Perth (Western Australia) has done what most doctors would have onoly dreamt in their noble profession – not only to save life – but to bring someone back from the clutches of death.

Dr Mukherjee has managed to do just that. His patient a twenty year old mother of one, had been dead for more than 28 minutes – and you better believe it – she is alive and well and with his son and partner, happy at home.

Caris Strestik accidentally cut her femoral artery while cooking at her Armadale home. And within five minutes said the doctors the 20-year-old quickly “bled out”.

The mother-of-one arrived at Armadale Hospital, just around the corner from her house, with no pulse, she wasn’t breathing, and had gone into cardiac arrest.

For all the facts, she was clinically and certified dead… for a staggering 28 long minutes.

The Armadale resident told Radio 6PR on Tuesday her only recollection of the incident was the pain.

“I’ve got no idea,” she laughed, when asked if there was life on the other side.

“I remember an ambulance and waking up a half-an-hour later in the hospital, but apparently I had died for 28 minutes. I was in a medical induced coma for two days.

“All I pretty much remember was all the pain. I remember one of the ambulance drivers saying to me everything will be ok and then I blacked out. It’s just like I fell asleep.

“I don’t even remember having a dream to be honest.”

Ms Strestik said she pretty much emptied out the blood bank at Armadale Hospital as a result of the ordeal.

“I kept going through transfusions and I kept on needing to put new blood in.”

Ms Strestik was discharged from hospital after eight days and has made a full recovery and she said there are many things she won’t be taking for granted again.

“I’m walking and I’m chasing my little boy around again,” she said.

“Even the doctors say I’m a miracle. They can’t believe it. I had everyone in shock.”

Dr-Ash
Dr Ash Mukherjee

Armadale Hospital emergency doctor Ash Mukherjee told Comment News she had completely bled out.

“She basically had no blood in her system,” he said.

“Her heart was empty, it was only through giving her blood that we were able to fill the heart – we finished the blood bank.

“Because she had bled out, it was very difficult to find veins, we had to go into her legs and groin to get direct access to the blood system.”

Dr Mukherjee said Ms Strestik’s recovery was a “miracle”.

“When I saw her on the phone having breakfast and I was absolutely stunned – it was a miracle.

“It’s very rewarding for us to bring someone back from the cusp,” he said.

 

By K. Dev