A 40-year-old man who collapsed while running in the 2023 Taipei Marathon finished last year’s edition after receiving emergency treatment from National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), the hospital said yesterday.
The man, surnamed Soong (宋), had completed several triathlons and more than a dozen marathons prior to the incident, Emergency department head nurse Chu Yu-chen (朱育臻) said.
Although he had cold-like symptoms before the 2023 marathon, he still competed, Chu told reporters at a hospital event, attended by Soong, about the runner’s recovery.
Photo: CNA
During the marathon, Soong felt a tightness in his throat, but took two painkillers and kept running, she said.
However, he suddenly collapsed near Taipei East Gate, and was found without a pulse or breathing, she said.
Fortunately, with the immediate response of on-site medical personnel, and a seamless transition from emergency care to intensive care after he was rushed to NTUH, Soong recovered following two weeks of hospitalization, and in December last year, finished the Taipei Marathon, she said.
Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading global health emergency, claiming millions of lives each year — more than 20,000 cases are reported each year in Taiwan — with arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation being common causes, NTUH Center of Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation Science director Tsai Min-shan (蔡旼珊) said.
Soong’s speedy recovery was fortunate, as in many cases, even with successful resuscitation, survivors often face post-cardiac arrest syndrome, including brain injury, cardiac dysfunction and multiple organ failure, she said.
In the past, while about half of the sudden cardiac arrest cases at NTUH were resuscitated, only about 1 percent of them could walk out of the hospital fully recovered, so a successful resuscitation is just the start of another challenge of recovery for the survivor, she said.
The Center of Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation Science addresses those challenges with advanced treatments, such as high-quality post-arrest care, targeted temperature management — maintaining core body temperature at 32°C to 36°C — early coronary angiography and personalized recovery plans, Tsai said.
Established in 2023, the center is the first medical unit in Taiwan dedicated to the emergency and post-resuscitation care of cardiac arrest cases, the hospital said.
The center integrates all six key links of the “Chain of Survival”: early recognition, activation of emergency medical services, high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, advanced post-cardiac arrest care and recovery, it said.
Through the center’s treatment, survival and neurological outcomes have significantly improved, Tsai said.
Center data showed that its resuscitation success rate is 67 percent, with 36 percent of people discharged and nearly 24 percent achieving a favorable neurological recovery, which is on par with international top marks, she said.
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