New Delhi, April 30 -- A 40-year-old man in China has survived after his heart stopped beating for 40 hours. The case has sparked widespread discussion about modern life-saving medical technology.

Emergency doctor Lu Xiao from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University shared the case online, according to the South China Morning Post. His social media account has 3 million followers.

The man suffered a cardiac arrest. Several electric defibrillations failed to restore his heartbeat. The medical team then used a machine called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

The machine acted as an artificial heart and lung for the patient. It added oxygen to his blood and removed carbon dioxide. This kept him alive while his hear...