‘Miracle boy’ survives icy death in river

Press, 27 December 1979, Page 1

‘Miracle boy’ survives icy death in river

NZPA-Reuter

Chippewa Falls A boy l , aged 11, miraculously revived from being clinically dead after half an hour under water, went home for Christmas.

Two weeks ago Darven Miller fell through the ice of the Duncan River just outside Chippewa Falls, in north-western Wisconsin.

Firemen pulled him out of the freezing river and took him to the local hospital, but presumed there was no hope because he had been under water for about 30 minutes.

He was not breathing, his lungs were full of water, his body was a deep blue colour, and his temperature had fallen to 27.8 deg. “When he came in, he was by clinical evaluation

dead,” said Mr Bruno Rahn, of St Joseph’s hospital.

The doctors placed him in a heating wrap, circulating water warmed to 40.6 deg and gave him shots of adrenalin and electric shocks to get his heart restarted.

After 70 minutes he was breathing again. Doctors said his survival was

nothing short of miraculous.

Now the doctors expect him to make a complete recovery. Amazingly, he apparently suffered no brain damage, they said. Normally, permanent brain damage occurs if the oxygen supply is cut off for just a few minutes. Darven Miller’s doctor. Dr Romeo Sangalang, said

the boy’s only problem was his hands, which were still badly swollen. Dr Sangalang gave Darven a leave pass to spend Christmas with his family. But he would have to return to hospital for at least a few more days for therapy on his hands. Dr Sangalang hoped Darven would be home

again for good by the New Year.

Doctors said the hoy’s recovery had deep medical and ethical implications because of the continuing debate over how hard they should try to revive apparently honeless cases w here people have almost certainly suffered brain damage and would only be “vegetables" if they survived.