Saved from cardiac arrest, Petra thanks her saviours and new heart

DOCTORS say it’s remarkable this Melbourne woman survived for 35 years carrying a silent heart defect usually first diagnosed upon autopsy. Here are the heroes that saved her life.

FROM the moment Petra Brosch was born, every pump of her heart was another tick on the time bomb she carried in her chest.

Doctors say it is remarkable Petra even survived for 35 years carrying the silent heart defect usually first diagnosed upon autopsy.

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Doctors say it is remarkable Petra even survived for 35 years carrying the silent heart defect usually first diagnosed upon autopsy. Picture: David Caird

But just as miraculous is the human chain of kindness that linked her path to survival.

The first link was added by compassionate strangers on Elwood beach who came to the aide of the woman who collapsed while jogging one twilight evening in early May.

The chain then joined to the skilled hands of MICA paramedics Simon Fraser, Georgia Barker and colleagues, who used a mechanical compression machine on Petra for the 40 minutes it took to stabilise her and arrive at hospital.

Doctors and nurses at The Alfred made the next links, as they kept pushing to find lifesaving treatment options in the face of a series of baffling medical dead-ends.

After spending 68 days in intensive care, with a mechanical heart acting as her own, the crucial link was added by the final wishes of a grieving family who gifted Petra life.

“I really struggled initially with the thought of having a foreign body inside me,” Petra said.

“Now I think it’s a beautiful thing. I’ve made peace with that. I want to be a donor myself.

“The moment I woke up after the transplant I already felt stronger.

“I think the heart and I really like each other.”

Petra hugs paramedic Georgia Barker and Mica Paramedic Simon Fraser after they brought her back to life. Picture: David Caird

HOW PETRA OVERCAME THE WORST

PETRA was unresponsive, with her heart beating just 15 weak pumps a minute, when the decision was made in the crowed ED cubicle to put her on ECMO — a heart-lung bypass machine reserved for the sickest patients.

Mr Fraser said he left Petra assuming that she would later die, but knowing they had taken her to the place where she would be given the best chance of surviving the cardiac arrest in the back of the ambulance at the beach.

The attack was brought on by an abnormality of the main artery sending blood to the heart.

As she lay in intensive care, attached to machines acting as her vital organs, cardiologist Dr Angeline Leet said the first big test was to see how much irreversible brain damage had been sustained from being clinically dead for 35 minutes.

At first, Petra could communicate by blinking her eyes. Next she could obey commands; squeezing the left hand, moving the right foot. This was a good sign.

But as other organs started to shut down, she failed the next big test.

Daily heart ultrasounds, coupled with tests of enzymes that leak into the blood after a heart injury, revealed to Dr Leet that the damage to the heart was irreversible.

The logical next step would be to fit Petra with an artificial heart, one she could go home on while she waited for a donor.

But patients on a mechanical heart rely on blood thinners to stop the device clotting — something Petra could not tolerate as her gut continued to bleed. Another roadblock.

She was instead fitted with a type of artificial heart that would sit outside the chest and support its left side, while she was still on the heart and lung bypass machine.

Petra Brosch, attends rehab this week with physiotherapist Dr Louise Fuller at the Alfred Hospital gym. Picture: David Caird

In the meantime — this woman who had spent summer learning to become surf life saver in Morocco, and who had planned to run an Olympic distance triathlon later this year — did what she could to stay physically strong.

Despite losing 15kg while in ICU, Petra did bicep curls into the night with bags of saline.

It took six people to help her stand for the first time when she was still connected to ECMO — the first patient to do so at the hospital — for 50m of proud shaky steps.

“I’ve never seen anyone as determined as Petra,” Dr Leet said.

“We know how strong someone goes into a heart transplant relates to how well they do after.

“In Petra’s case we had to rehabilitate her in intensive care, which is extraordinary.”

‘WE HAVE A HEART FOR YOU’

INTENSIVIST Dr Li Tan, who was part of the team that made the initial decision to put Petra on life support when she first arrived in ED, had the pleasure of waking her at 1am more than two months later to pass on the life saving news.

“I just want to tell you that we have a heart for you,” Dr Tan whispered.

“She has been incredibly lucky. There were many points where we were all concerned she may not make it, but we really pushed the boundaries.”

Petra with paramedics and cardiac medical staff who saved her life, Dr Li Tan Intensive Care Specialist, Georgia Barker Paramedic, Simon Fraser Mica Paramedic and Dr Angeline Leet Cardiologist. Picture: David Caird

Now out of hospital and still building up the strength to climb stairs and stand up on her own, Petra said she was looking forward to living life again in full volume to honour her saviours.

“I would love to know what life the heart lived before,” Petra said.

“I will definitely write to the family. I want to thank them. I’m just so grateful to be alive.”

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To donate to The Alfred’s Father’s Day Appeal go to www.alfredhospitalappeal.org

To register as an organ donor go to donatelife.gov.au