Woman survives cardiac arrest after being ‘clinically dead’ for 10 minutes

Sandra McCartney, a mother-of-four from Londonderry, has shared her story of survival after suffering a cardiac arrest while on Christmas holiday in Spain in 2019. At age 59, she collapsed, lost consciousness, and stopped breathing and heartbeat, remaining clinically dead for ten minutes before paramedics successfully restored her heart rhythm.

The incident, which occurred on New Year’s Eve, required multiple defibrillator shocks and adrenaline injections to save her life. Following the rescue, McCartney spent 11 days on a ventilator in the hospital. During this time, both of her lungs collapsed, and she later developed laryngeal stridor, a potentially life-threatening complication caused by difficult breathing due to intubation, which required her to be ventilated again.

Doctors determined that the cardiac event was triggered by familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a life-threatening genetic condition that causes extremely high cholesterol levels. If left untreated, FH significantly increases the risk of early heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.

McCartney, who considered herself fit and healthy, admitted she was unaware she carried the gene. She noted that she initially mistook the onset of symptoms for indigestion related to a hiatus hernia, a common condition in older adults. The pain eventually spread to her right arm, leading her husband to alert medical staff.

The British Heart Foundation estimates that more than 250,000 people in the UK live with FH, yet over two-thirds remain undiagnosed. The condition is hereditary; if one parent has it, there is a 50% chance their child will inherit it. Without treatment, approximately half of men and 30% of women with FH develop coronary heart disease by age 55.

Northern Ireland stands out for having the highest detection rate of the condition in the UK. The Belfast Health Trust operates a specialized screening service that contacts relatives of diagnosed patients, offering testing through a team of specialist nurses across the region. This proactive approach has helped identify a significant number of carriers who were previously unaware of their condition.

McCartney’s recovery has been long and difficult. She required a wheelchair upon her return home in February due to severe muscle wastage and was later readmitted to Altnagelvin Hospital after fainting. The onset of the pandemic meant she missed out on cardiac rehabilitation, which she described as beneficial for recovery. She currently lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted to protect against future cardiac arrests.

Although she can no longer return to work and finds simple tasks like making a bed exhausting, McCartney remains grateful to be alive. Her four children have all tested clear for the condition. She now volunteers with NI Chest Heart and Stroke and encourages awareness about the importance of screening for FH.