Once or twice in a career

The other night my crew and I were invited to take part in a ceremony at work honoring the garbageman who performed CPR on a man in cardiac arrest.  (I wrote about it in a previous blog.)  By the time we had transported the man to the ER he had pulses back so it was what we call a "code save".  Over 90% of the time that means that we deliver them 'alive' but they die in hospital from the initial event or the many complications that arise from suffering cardiac arrest.  However, once or twice in a career you get the chance to meet someone on whom you have performed CPR.  The first time this happened for me was about 10 years ago.  We had been called to a local YMCA gymnasium.  Someone had collapsed playing basketball.  My crew was second in on that one.  We helped package and transport.  A year later the man came by with his family to say thank you.  Let me tell you it is quite a moment when you are looking the family in the eye and they are so grateful at their second chance in life!

Now, as I said, the ceremony was for the young garbageman who performed CPR.  I had not seen his face because when we switched over and I took over doing compressions for him I only saw his back.  From that point on I was 'a little busy' and so only learned who he was much later.  Well, the man who had suffered cardiac arrest not only lived to get to the ER - he walked out of the hospital on his own!  From what Eric, (the garbageman) told me, there had been one cardiac artery that was 98% occluded and another that was 90% occluded.  Now he was home recuperating with a good chance at living a normal life.  One of my crew told me that the family had come by the station to say thanks (though I was not at my station that day as I was Acting BC so assigned to a different station).  There is a real satisfaction at experiencing this kind of outcome even though it is so rare.  Now my second time in nearly 28 years of involvement with the Fire service...and a lot of CPR done in that time.  It is all down to how quickly someone starts effective compressions after the arrest occurs.  Do you know CPR?  You could save a life if you do.