Doctors managed to revive a woman 42 minutes after she had been declared dead.
Vanessa Tanasio was rushed to hospital in Melbourne after suffering a huge heart attack at her home in Narre Warren.
Paramedics tried to revive her in the ambulance but on arrival at the Monash Heart Hospital she was declared clinically dead.
The mother-of-two was saved by a high-tech machine that kept blood flowing to her brain.
The £10,000 device called LUCAS2 kept her brain functioning so that surgeons were able to perform emergency treatment on her heart.
“I feel excellent,” Vanessa said. “For someone who has been dead for nearly an hour I am feeling tremendously well.”
A saleswoman with an earth-moving company, Vanessa said she had not previously been troubled with heart problems.
“This has taken me completely by surprise. I’m relieved to be still here for my children.
“The doctors and nurses have been awesome – the machine is awesome.”
Police sergeant Mark Robertson, part of the police team that raised the money for the machine in conjunction with the hospital, said that he was thrilled with her recovery
A hospital spokesman today described Vanessa’s survival as “astonishing”.