Back to life! Hiker's heart stops during mountain rescue but experiences amazing recovery

Miracles happen every day and one was experienced by a hiker who got lost in the mountain, rescued, and died in the emergency room, but later on, lived to see one more day.

Michael Knapinski, a 45-year-old hiker went to Mount Rainier National Park, but he got lost overnight. The Seattle Times reported that Knapinski was rescued and was airlifted off the mountain on Sunday, Nov. 16, and was brought to the Harborview Medical Center.

The report stated Dr Jenelle Badulak, one of the doctors who initially treated Knapinski, said that the hiker still had a pulse when he arrived at the medical center. However, his heart stopped soon.

Badulak said that Knapinski died while he was in the emergency room. Doctors saw it as an opportunity to bypass his heart and lungs in a profound attempt to save his life. She said that the method they used is the most advanced artificial life support available in the world.

ABC News reported that Knapinski received CPR and was then hooked up to a machine called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The machine pumps blood out of the body, lets it pass through a heart-lung machine, which eliminates carbon dioxide content. The now filtered blood is then returned to the body.

Reports revealed that Knapinski's heart was not beating for 45 minutes. After which, the doctors restarted his heart and he was closely monitored to ensure that his condition remains stable. He woke up two days later. While he still dealt with issues like frostbite, as well as his heart and kidney problems, doctors stated and believed that he would be okay.

Whitney Holen, a trauma nurse who was there when he woke up, narrated that the first thing Knapinski wanted to do was to call his family. She said that Knapinsky, his family and even she shed tears, and his ordeal reminded her of why they, as nurses, endure long hours.

When Knapinski was able to narrate his experience to The Seattle Times, he said that he was there pretty close to the end of the trail when it turned to whiteout conditions. The last thing that the rescued hiker could remember was taking baby steps down the mountain, and that he was surrounded by white. He had bruises and scrapes, which made him think that he fell.

Mountain Hiker