Every year, about 40,000 people in Canada go into sudden, cardiac arrest. About 95% die. But doctors and researchers are experimenting with new ways of delivering treatment, and they're offering some glimmers of hope.
In Ontario, a clinical trial is underway that involves chilling the bodies of those whose hearts have stopped functioning. The hope is that hypothermia will allow doctors to reach beyond the threshold of clinical death, and pull patients back to the realm of the living.
Freelance documentary producer Tina Pittaway looked into this treatment, speaking to a man who counts himself among the fortunate 5% of people who survive as part of her documentary, Back From The Brink.
To listen, click here.