Anna BÃ¥genholm

Anna Bågenholm (* 1970 in Vänersborg ) is a Swedish doctor who was after a skiing accident in the Norwegian Narvik already about three hours because of hypothermia clinically dead before she could be resuscitated without sequelae. With a body temperature of only 13.7 degrees is the case, the most pronounced hypothermia in humans, which has been scientifically documented.

Circumstances of the accident and rescue

Anna Bågenholm who was then working in Narvik at the hospital, went on 21 May 1999 with two colleagues ski. At 18:20 clock, there was a serious accident: Bågenholm plunged headlong into an approximately 70 cm deep, frozen creek, they came under the ice, where her body was wedged between two rocks. She could breathe in a bubble between ice and water, but not free. Your companions did not manage to save them from about 20 cm thick ice. At 18:27 clock, an emergency call was issued, but not until 19:40 clock could Saw open the ice with a circular saw, a rescue team, so Bågenholm who was unconscious since 19:00 clock, could be drawn from the creek. She was now about 80 minutes in the water for.

At 19:56 clock Bågenholm was taken over by a rescue helicopter under resuscitation of the accident site and met at 21:10 clock in the University Hospital Tromsø one. At this time their body temperature was only 14.4 degrees, the pupils were fixed, there were no cardiac activity or brain waves detectable. Although Bågenholm so was clinically dead, extensive intensive medical measures were introduced; total were involved so under the direction of Mads Gilbert up to 100 doctors and assistants. Inter alia Bågenholms blood was discharged via a bypass, heated outside the body, oxygenated, and then returned. The body temperature dropped even more to 13.7 degrees. At 22:15 clock but all heart activity could be measured. When around 0:49 clock the bypass was stopped, the body temperature rose to 36.4 degrees. On May 30, Bågenholm regained consciousness. She was initially unable to move from the neck down, but recovered in the following weeks, again without serious physical damage remained. Since October 1999 Bågenholm has worked as a doctor again.

Critical to the success of the resuscitation and the absence of ( brain ) damage despite the long circulation failure were the rapid cooling of the brain in still functioning circulation and slowly guided by rewarming of the body. An important role is also played by the competent medical first aid at the scene ( the first responders were physicians ) and the rescue helicopter, which already had an appropriately equipped team on board, Bågenholms body further cooled during flight. The " case Bågenholm " attracted worldwide attention and was discussed in the journal The Lancet. The case is considered groundbreaking for dealing with hypothermia.