Woman with rare heart condition 'died 36 times in one year'
Yahoo News
March 7, 2015, 12:37 pm
An incredible video has emerged of the moment a young woman with a rare heart condition was brought back to life by a team of medics.
Sara Brautigam, 21, suffers from Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which means she experiences regular and rapid palpitations that cause her heart to stop beating.
One year, she was pronounced clinically dead 36 times.
The alarming video, posted on YouTube, was taken three years ago by staff at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, UK, when Ms Brautigam suffered a mild attack.
Incredible video shows the moment a 21-year-old Sara Brautigam was brought back to life by a team of medics. Photo: YouTube
"In reality, this was quite a mild attack," she told the Daily Mail. "As you can see my heart rate is very up. Then you see me go limp and the doctors and nurses all crowd around.
"They can't give me CPR because CPR tires the heart out for no reason so it is pointless. When the heart fills up with blood again is when it begins beating again.
"The blood tends to pool in my legs and the doctors need to help feed it back into the heart."
It's about four minutes into the clip when staff are administering oxygen that Ms Brautigam is 'clinically dead'.
Medical staff rush to Ms Brautigam's assistance when she blacks out and her heart stops beating. Photo: YouTube
Ms Brautigam agreed to its public release to raise awareness and highlight the syndrome, which typically affects women between the ages of 15 to 50.
She said she had not come across anyone who experienced such a rapid drop in blood pressure as a result of their condition.
A team of medics desperately work to revive Sara Brautigam who's heart has stopped beating. Photo: YouTube.
Each time she suffers a black out, medics have to inflict pain on her to shock her into coming back to life.
She said on one occasion they ripped off an acrylic nail, but it was not enough to jolt her back to consciousness.
She understands the early warning signs of an attack, allowing a critical window to raise the alarm.
"I'll feel dizzy or sick and really tired and then I feel as though I'm falling asleep," she told the Daily Mail.
"I can hear everything around me and feel as though I'm trying to shout out but nothing is coming out.
"They say when you die your hearing is the last thing to go and that's been my experience."
Incredibly, doctors mange to revive the 21-year-old who was 'clinically dead' for one minute. Photo: YouTube
However, she has refuted the theory someone close to death sees a bright light before they succumb.
"There is definitely no bright light. Everything just goes black," she said.
As well as the debilitating condition, Ms Brautigam also suffers from joint hyper mobility which means she is more susceptible to dislocation and injury.
The two conditions combined resulted in her visiting the emergency department an astonishing 64 times last year.
But determined that neither one will hold her back, she is a keen rower and is now pursuing her passion for burlesque dancing.
