A California man who suffered cardiac arrest was saved by his grandson and doctors who gave him CPR for 70 minutes – as doctors say his survival is a miracle.
David Mills, 67, went into cardiac arrest at his San Diego home in April and his 25-year-old grandson began chest compressions while on the phone with early medics.
The man was resurrected through the “chain of survival”, which is the series of events that must happen quickly “to maximize the chances of survival”.
“I feel good, I feel lucky to be here,” Mills said. FOX 5 San Diego.
Mills’ doctors say he had less than a one percent chance of surviving with favorable neurological results after 60 minutes of CPR.
“He had no pulse for over 70 minutes,” said Dr Andrew Fischer, calling his survival and recovery with his cognitive abilities intact “utterly amazing”.
David Mills (pictured right) is ‘lucky’ to be alive after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in Sand Diego and undergoing CPR for 70 minutes when he had no pulse
‘He had no pulse for over 70 minutes,’ said Dr Andrew Fischer (pictured), calling his survival and recovery with his cognitive abilities intact ‘quite amazing’
According to David’s wife, Georgia Mills, she was in another room of their Southern California home when she heard her husband making strange noises.
She found him unconscious and pulseless and immediately called 911 as her grandson, Jacob, began performing CPR with the help of dispatchers.
“Starting CPR immediately is critical because the brain can only go four to six minutes without oxygen before permanent damage occurs,” Dr. Fischer said.
“Too often, passers-by wait for paramedics to arrive, which may be too late. People who experience ACS (cardiac arrest) still have residual oxygen in their blood and hands-only CPR can keep that blood flowing until help arrives,” he continued.
Georgia said between Jacob and the first responders, they were inside the house for 40 minutes doing CPR non-stop.
Doctors transported Mills to Tri-City Medical Center in North County where additional CPR took place with minimal interruptions until he was stable.
The cause of his cardiac arrest was ventricular fibrillation (VFib) which is a malfunction of the normal heart rhythm.
VFib prevents the heart from pumping blood to the body and can deprive the brain and lungs of oxygen, which is needed for normal life functions.
According to doctors, the brain can only survive four to six minutes without oxygen.
“Starting CPR immediately is critical because the brain can only go four to six minutes without oxygen before permanent damage occurs,” Dr. Fischer said.
Doctors transported Mills to Tri-City Medical Center (pictured) in North County, where further CPR took place with minimal interruptions until he was stable
Another step in Mills’ chain of survival was a shock using an automated external defibrillator (AED) that gets the heart back into rhythm.
Thanks to the quick work of her grandson, first responders and hospital staff, doctors were able to establish a pulse.
Doctors inserted a stent into David’s heart. An electrocardiogram revealed that his cardiac arrest had been caused by a clogged artery.
Due to the length of the CPR process, there were always fears that he would regain consciousness or his overall cognitive abilities, which is why doctors were shocked at his recovery.
“His nurse, they’re saying… ‘oh my God, you’re there, I was just going to call you, her eyes are open,” Georgia told the SoCal outlet.
“His two-door intensive care doctor leaned out of the room and he said ‘what did you say? “Georgia continued, sharing how baffled the doctors were.
“The medical data indicates that after approximately 45 minutes and certainly beyond 60 minutes, the chances of survival and of having a favorable neurological evolution are less than 1%. This is why David’s survival and full recovery is so incredible.
David’s cardiac arrest was caused by a blocked artery in his heart
‘He’s my miracle man here,’ said Georgia (pictured)
David’s full recovery is considered a testament to the “chain of survival”.
“It’s all miraculous,” Georgia said as David agreed.
“He’s my miracle man here,” she continued.
David said he felt “physically stronger every day and emotionally very optimistic about his future”.
