BACK TO LIFE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 22 February 1907, Page 4

BACK TO LIFE.

IIIIMARIvABLK OPERATIONS AT BRISTOL RO\AL HOSPITAL.

Dr. T. A. Green, F.R.C.S., surgeon to out patients lit tile Bristol Roval Hospital for Sick Children anil Women cells in the Lancet 'of a remarkable ease at Bristol,.in which the action »i the heart was restored by means of massage after apparent death. The patient was a boy of nine, wlm was admitted suH'ering ' from a complaint which necessitated operation. Chloroform was administered, and the "Iteration commenced, when, after diflieult breathing, re'spirat.oh ceased. No heart sounds could be heard.

Hot towels were applied, and injee tions of strychnine made, but "wlthon success.

Then, 25 minutes after the heart lia-t stopped. Dr. Green, decided to apply d rect compression to the organ. An opening was made sullicient to admit the right hand; and the heart was felt to be quite immobile and llaccid. The doctor commenced rhythmical compression o'f -the organ, with his r:ght baud pressing against its lower surface, and his left hand outside; the' rate of compression being about 70 a mirfute. GRASPED THE APEX OF THE

• HEART. "lh:s method was continued tor about two minutes without appreciable effect. Then Dr. Green grasptfcl the apex of the heart with his right baud, and in this manner continued the intermittent compression. Soon a slight fluttering of the organ was noticed. The pupils of the eyes also contracted, and w.thin a few seconds the heart began to beat forcibly witli more than normal vigor.

Meanwhile, artificial respiration hail been continued all the tune, and w.thin a short period of the restoration of the pulse spontaneous breathing asserted itself, and gradually became regular. In ten minutes the heart and lungs were performing their functions normally, although the patient had not recovered consciousness.

The subsequent history of the case was, unfortunately, not so satisfactory Sensibility never returned. The patient developed spa,sms, and early next morning he was found to be obviously sinking, the heart-beat jgettiif; very feeble. Death took place twentyfour hours after the heart beat and respiration bad been established. Another Bristol case was that of a boy of three, who was adm.tted to the Bame hospital suffering from d'ptlieria. The difficulty of breathing passed off without an operation, but after a sudden attack of syncope, heart-beat and respiration ceased.

RETURN OF ANIMATION. Compression of the heart, was commenced by Dr. Green, as in the former case, and after five minutes a slowwave of contracton was felt passing over the organ. At the end of another five minutes the heart was beating at the rate of 48 a minute and 'the ears and l.ps, which had been livid, had resumed their ruddy appearance. Dr. Green, however, was unable in this case to restore spontaneous breathing,. and the heart itself stopped pulsating half an hour afterwards. Further massages made it contract several times, but after a few more attempts efforts were reluctantly given up, oae and a-haif hours after the massage had been commenced, and one and three-quarter hours after the child had died.

Dr. Green was led to try these measures through having seen them adopted by Mr 0. B. Keetlev in a case at the West London hospital in the summer of 1903.

NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. That case, which has not before been published, was that of a man in middle life. Chloroform was employed for the operation, and before the patient was completely under it his* breathing and pulse stopped. The usual methods for restoration were adopted without avail, and at thv end of three quarter* of an hour Mr Keetley made an open'ng and compressed the heart in the manner dft.v cribed by Dr. Green in the first ease. The results, however, were negative. In giving Dr. Green permission to make use of. this wye, Mr Keetley wrote: ''l have had another case like it since, and which we endeavoured to restore circulation by opening the abdomen and pressing the heart through the diaphragm, but unsuccessfully."