Miraculous rescue on Lake Como: 18-year-old suffering from severe hypothermia saved thanks to coordinated ECMO intervention.
AREU, Alpine Rescue, Firefighters, and air ambulances in an extraordinary operation that brought Jiri Marzi back to life. Bertolaso: "A system that worked admirably."
Miraculous rescue on Lake Como: 18-year-old suffering from severe hypothermia saved thanks to coordinated ECMO therapy.
An intervention defined as “miraculous" from Jiri Marzi, the eighteen-year-old rescued between the Bellora Rock e Bregagno Mount, in the Menaggio area, thanks to a complex and perfectly coordinated operation by AREU Lombardy.
The action involved:
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il Alpine rescue – Lario Occidentale/Ceresio station
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i Fire fighters
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the teams of the Como and Sondrio air rescues
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il ECMO team of the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII of Bergamo, a regional center for serious accidental hypothermia
The episode, which occurred last September 27th, was told today to Lombardy Palace, with the presence of all the protagonists of the rescue.
The young man disappeared during the Marathon Trail Lago di Como
Jiri Marzi was reported missing during the Marathon Trail Lake Como and found in conditions of very severe hypothermia.
The immediate intervention of the rescue teams and the speed in implementing the protocol ECMO – extracorporeal oxygenation technique used in the most critical cases – have been key elements to save it.
The Welfare Councilor Guido Bertolaso, speaking at the press conference, illustrated in detail the procedures adopted:
«This story shows how a system can do something exceptional. Emergency management works when you work together, as top players», he has declared.
Jiri he publicly thanked those who saved his life: «I'm only here thanks to them. What happened is truly miraculous."
ECMO intervention and teamwork
The medical team of the AREU Sondrio air rescue service present that day was composed of: Gabriele Aletti, anesthetist, Raffaella Gianoli, nursing coordinator of the 118 emergency service in Sondrio
Both emphasized the importance of effective communication, coordination between ground and air teams, ongoing training, and high professional skills.
"Operations like this require teamwork, like an orchestra following a precise direction," Aletti explained.
The director of the Emergency Department of the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Luca Lorini, he highlighted «the great passion and the extremely high level of expertise of the operators involved».
Also present in the room were: Massimo Lombardo, general director of AREU Lombardia, Francesco Locati, general director ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII
A Lombard model of excellence in emergency relief
The complexity of the intervention and the success achieved confirm the effectiveness of the Lombard emergency management system, integrated between: AREU, Civil Protection, Hospital Health, and specialized technical teams.
The case of Jiri Marzi thus becomes an emblematic example of how the lteamwork, ECMO technology, and rapid response can transform an almost certain outcome into a “return to life.”
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