Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest is an assortment of current events and news related to emergency cardiac care and resuscitation. Produced by Code One Training Solutions, Emergency Cardiac Care News Digest is published every Friday throughout the year.
Life is divided into three terms – that which was, which is, and which will be.
William Wordsworth
Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.
How my caring granddaughter Lily saved a stranger’s life and became their Queen of Hearts and it celebrates the goodness that lies within us all.
It is a story of pure chance, bringing together people from opposite ends of the Earth, entwining them for life.
This story revolves around affairs of the heart.
Not the romantic kind, but of one faulty heart and another that simply stopped and left its owner for dead.
I first heard this story a year ago when my granddaughter Lily Day, now 26, casually mentioned that she had a bit of drama on a UK train ride.
“A bloke in my carriage went into cardiac arrest,” she said. “I had to give him CPR.”
Lily knew a bit about cardiopulmonary resuscitation because she is a nurse working at the Evelina children’s hospital in central London.
How she got there is an inspiring story.
Full story: https://www.the-sun.com/news/9941577/granddaughter-saved-mans-life-mark-day/
Benicia Boosts Park Safety with Public Access AED, Eyes “HeartSafe Community” Designation
The Benicia Fire Department in partnership with Benicia Parks & Community Services – Recreation has amped up safety at the Benicia Community Park with the installation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) device, ready for public access in cases of cardiac arrest emergencies.
Located inside a locked yellow box on the wall of the snack shack, the AED is part of a safety initiative aimed at establishing Benicia as a “HeartSafe Community.”
City High tennis coach says he will ‘never forget’ the officer who saved his life
IOWA CITY — An Iowa City man said he thinks about the officer who saved his life in September “every single day.”
“I couldn’t have been more lucky to have an officer there — a former EMT — and have an ambulance nearby,” Chip Hardesty, 80, longtime tennis coach at City High School, told The Gazette during a phone interview. “If it happened at home, it might not have been a good outcome.”
Hardesty suffered a cardiac arrest during the City High homecoming parade on Sept. 20, but because of the quick actions of Officer Andy Farrell, who was working traffic control on the parade route, the coach will get to spend the holidays with his daughter’s family in Maryland.
Farrell, 38, who has been an officer since 2014, was recently honored during a ceremony with a Life Saving Commendation from the Iowa City Police Department. He received a medal and commendation bar for saving Hardesty. The ceremony also welcomed six new officers to the department.
“This was very special for me, being able to talk to the person after something like this happens,” Farrell said. “This is a first. Chip came to the ceremony and he did send me a note, thanking me for that day. He told me he was going to fly to Maryland to see his family and that made me feel great that he was doing well.”
Hardesty said it was nice getting to meet “Andy” and his family.
“I just think he’s terrific and deserves it,” Hardesty said. “I don’t have any memory of what happened to me or what he did but others filled me in. He saved my life.”
Farrell said his wife, their kids — a 5-year-old and 1-year-old — parents, in-laws, friends and his co-workers attended the ceremony.
Read the full story: https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/city-high-tennis-coach-says-he-will-never-forget-officer-who-saved-his-life/
Less than half of Scotland’s schools have a defibrillator
NEW data has found that less than half of schools across Scotland have a defibrillator on their grounds.
A total of 1152 (42% of schools do not have a defibrillator, compared to 389 schools which do.
All schools in Aberdeen City, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire have a defibrillator.
However, some local authority areas reported less than one in five schools which have a defibrillator, with one council reporting just 4% of its schools having access.
Full story: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/less-half-scotland-schools-defibrillator-132954931.html
Jersey Community Enhances Emergency Preparedness with Defibrillators
St Brelade’s Bay in Jersey has been the focus of a local community effort to enhance emergency medical response capabilities with the installation of two new defibrillators. The initiative was spearheaded by Sean Kinsella of Absolute Adventures and Jonathan Steventon of Jono’s Watersports following a tragic incident last summer that resulted in a fatality due to the unavailability of a defibrillator during a critical window of survival after a heart attack. Recognizing the urgent necessity of quick defibrillator access, they launched a fundraising drive at the beginning of December.
RCFD cadet program helps create the next generation of heroes
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Prepare, prevent, and protect is the mission of the Rapid City Fire Department.
Seven students are getting an up-close look at what these words mean.
Launched in September, the cadet program turns teens into potential firefighters and EMTs.
Through hands-on experience and training, cadets are taught essential firefighting skills, first aid, and CPR.
Source: https://www.kotatv.com/2023/12/25/rcfd-cadet-program-helps-creates-next-generation-heroes/
17 years after Matt Nader’s life was saved with an AED during a game, he returns the favor
Matt Nader was walking back to his car after Westlake’s Class 6A state semifinal Dec. 9 in Pflugerville when he noticed an elderly man on his back in the parking lot.
Nader, the former Westlake and Texas offensive lineman whose life was saved 17 years ago when his heart stopped during a Chaparrals game, recalls hearing “a thud” before he turned to see Bill Wolters, 80, motionless on the black pavement. Blood was trickling from the back of Wolters’ head. Gasps were heard from a crowd of bystanders who stood and stared.
Nader rushed toward the man and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Wait, haven’t we heard this story before?
Read more here: https://www.aol.com/17-years-matt-naders-life-170418466.html
Automated External Defibrillator (AED) available 24/7 at Hermann City Park
Ward 1 Alderman Susan Lenger, City Mayor Bruce Cox, and Gasconade County Health Department Administrator Kenna Fricke joined Chip Georges, President of Marelly AEDs and Safety, to announce the recent installation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) that is available 24/7 for emergencies in the city park and at the tennis courts. The AED is located on the north side of Hermann Fire Station No. 1, on the corner closest to the tennis courts.
The purchase of the Zoll® AED Plus ® from Marelly AEDs and Safety was a collaborative effort between the Park Board, the Gasconade County Health Department, Hermann Area District Hospital, and the City of Hermann. Lenger said that after an individual playing pickleball at the park went into cardiac arrest last year, the Park Board was asked to look into purchasing an AED unit and having it available for emergencies in the park.
Student Nurse Saves Man’s Life during Cardiac Arrest in Liverpool
On a chilly November day in Liverpool, a life hung in the balance. John McKeown, a 37-year-old father of three, suffered a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest while driving. His life, however, was given a second chance, thanks to the swift intervention of an off-duty student nurse, Demi Murphy, who happened to pass by.
A Brush with Death
On November 11, McKeown was driving when his heart suddenly failed him. A passer-by flagged down Murphy, a 21-year-old student nurse at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Without wasting a moment, Murphy climbed into the driver’s seat and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on McKeown. She continued her life-saving efforts until paramedics arrived at the scene.
Source: https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/health/student-nurse-saves-mans-life-during-cardiac-arrest-in-liverpool/
Spencer police officer’s unexpected delivery: A Christmas miracle named Jesus
SPENCER (KOKH) — A Christmas miracle in Spencer.
Last week a Spencer Police Officer did something he never thought he would do on the job, deliver a baby.
Officer King Gates told Fox 25 that he got a call to provide CPR to an infant, but when he arrived at the house he realized the baby wasn’t born yet, and the mother was actually in labor, and he sprung into action to help deliver the baby,
“The call that I received was there was a mother that had the child and has been out, you know, few hours or so,” Officer Gates said, “So I was anticipating going in and having to do CPR on the infant child, but once I get in the house, she was actually having a baby as I’m running into the house.”
Full story: https://okcfox.com/news/local/spencer-police-officers-unexpected-delivery-a-christmas-miracle-named-jesus