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Death and resuscitation: Army captain brought back to life

He was dead for 15 minutes. He bled out and his heart flatlined for 15 minutes.

But a field doctor in Iraq refused to give up and today Capt. Josh Mantz, First Infantry Division is alive and well with no brain damage.

Mantz shared his story with Pratt American Legion Post 86 at a recent meeting. It is one of the Legion activities in the community. Their next big project is a downtown parade followed by an activities day and fireworks display on Saturday, July 3 at the Pratt County Veterans Memorial Lake.

But during that recent evening, the Legion members were focused on the story of Mantz’ brush with death on the battlefield.

It was April 21, 2007 when a sniper sent an armor piercing 50-caliber bullet ripping through his upper right thigh and severed his femoral artery. Another soldier was hit in the aorta.

Mantz didn’t realize how seriously he was wounded. A tourniquet was wrapped around his leg as blood gushed from the wound. He was placed on a Bradley vehicle and the tourniquet fell off. He was rushed to medical help in the field and a field surgeon named Tipton made a quick decision that Mantz had a better chance of survival than the man with the wound to the aorta who later died.

Mantz was badly wounded and passed out although he recalls vividly the sensations he felt as he bled out. Mantz said he had tunnel vision. He couldn’t speak and got extremely sick.

The body will pull blood to the chest to protect vital organs and Mantz said he could feel his body doing that. As the blood continued to leave his body he recalls how the blood eventually all went to his chest, his breathing grew difficult, had hoped someone would take care of his family and he died. Although he flat lined for 15 minutes, the field staff kept working on him, pumping in 30 units of blood and continuing chest compressions well after a civilian doctor would have stopped, Mantz said.

A faint pulse kept Tipton doing chest compressions and after a couple of broken ribs, Mantz came back, all the way back.

Mantz suffered no brain damage and credits the precise work of the field medical personnel with saving his life.

Continues @ PrattTribune.com

This is so impressive. Fight Captain Matz, FIGHT!!!   Speedy Recovery to you! God Bless!

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-- Edited by Sanders on Wednesday 12th of May 2010 07:17:21 PM