We report on a 21-year old patient who nearly drowned in cold water under inexplicable circumstances. About 1/2 hour later he was found with cardiac arrest. Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation remained unsuccessfully but was continued. After transportation to the nearest hospital a core temperature of 26.1 degrees C was recorded. A team of our hospital arrived 2 1/2 hours after start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After introducing a femo-femoral bypass the patient was rapidly rewarmed and oxygenated using a portable extracorporeal circulation and membrane oxygenation. Defibrillation succeeded at a core temperature of 34.4 degrees C. A severe ARDS developed the same day which was successfully treated by membrane oxygenation. 41 days later the patient left the hospital fully recovered.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.