Ottawa has its act together!

Three saves in one week...

Updated: Sat Nov. 26 2011 4:53:11 PM

ctvottawa.ca An Ottawa firefighter said he's looking forward to having a beer with the opposing player whose life he helped save during a game of hockey Friday night.

Ottawa paramedics said a 61-year-old man was playing hockey at the Kanata Recreation Complex when he collapsed around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Off-duty firefighter Pat Aubry skated over, felt he had no pulse and immediately asked for someone to call 911 and get the public access defibrillator, according to Ottawa Fire Services.

"I was assessing him and as I was assessing him his eyes rolled back and he went purple, so I started CPR," said firefighter Pat Aubry.

CPR and one shock from the defibrillator were delivered, and paramedics said the man's pulse was back when they arrived.

"We set it up on him and the machine did what it was supposed to do," Aubry said.

He was taken to hospital conscious and is in stable condition.

The incident is the third this past week where someone was saved with a defibrillator.

Tuesday a 66-year-old man suffered a heart attack while curling at the RCMP Curling Rink; his pulse was also brought back using CPR and a defibrillator.

Thursday, the same "chain of survival" was put into action to save a 79-year-old who suffered cardiac arrest while playing tennis at the West Ottawa Tennis Club.

A 41-year-old was revived with a defibrillator after he collapsed playing hockey Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Minto Arena.

Aubry, who looked after the patient's children while their mother was at the hospital, said he's done CPR plenty of times on the job.

Still, he insists the accolades aren't his alone.

"(People say) 'Thanks a lot Pat, you're the guy that saved him,'" he said. "I said no, it was a team effort, everybody helped."

There are more than 700 defibrillators in Ottawa, in both public and private facilities.

Using one during cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by 65 per cent.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Karen Soloman

[Blogger's note about the '65%' reference: It almost always takes at least CPR & AED to bring a sudden cardiac arrest victim back. In the U.S.A. between five and ten percent are brought back, with the difference depending whether you insist that the survivor not be counted unless the survivor is able to perform the activities of daily living. Over a ten year period, the Phoenix Airport has averaged a 75% survival rate. This success is due to plenty of people who know Bystander CPR, plenty of AED's, a really good Emergency Medical Service, and really good cardiac center hospitals.]

Patient who collapsed at gym thanks worker who helped save him

By Charles McMahon cmcmahon@seacoastonline.com November 23, 2011 2:00 AM PORTSMOUTH — It was an emotional moment on Tuesday morning at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, as Planet Fitness employee Whitni Hendley met the man whose life she helped save just one week earlier.

John Foster, 65, of Rye, said he's thankful Hendley was working when he collapsed while running on a treadmill Nov. 15 at the Lafayette Road gym.

What caused John Foster to collapse?

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Robert Helm said Foster's (below) heart stopped because of a condition called bicuspid aortic valve.

What is bicuspid aortic valve? It's a disorder in which the valve has only two leaflets, or flaps, that control blood flow through the heart. Like the tricuspid valve and the pulmonary valves, normal aortic valves have three tissue leaflets.

The risk: Over time, ongoing strain on the valve and heart can lead to permanent and life-threatening complications, including an enlarged heart, abnormal heart rhythms and congestive heart failure. To learn CPR: The American Heart Association teaches the technique for adults and infants. To sign up, call 433-4041.

"I remember going to the gym and starting my workout," he said. "The next thing I know, I woke up in the hospital and they told me what she did."

Hendley, 22, of York, Maine, was working at the front desk at about 6:45 a.m. when Foster went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. Hendley grabbed the gym's automated external defibrillator, checked for vital signs, then shocked the man until he regained a pulse.

With the assistance of another gym patron, Hendley performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Foster until paramedics arrived.

Her lifesaving efforts have been called heroic by gym members and emergency responders. Hendley said she has received congratulations from just about everyone in the gym community, perhaps the most meaningful of which came Tuesday when Hendley visited Foster at the local hospital.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "Somebody had to take charge, and (Whitni) did. I'm very grateful. She did an amazing job."

Joining the pair for the reunion was Portsmouth Regional Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Robert Helm, who helped explain what led to Foster's cardiac arrest last week.

Helm said Foster had a congenital bicuspid aortic valve, meaning the valve had only two leaflets, or flaps, to control blood flow from the heart. There normally are three.

"The heart can't get enough blood," he said of the disorder that affects about 1.5 percent of the population.

The heart surgeon said he performed a three-hour surgery on Foster last week. The surgery included a small incision in Foster's chest.

"We replaced his aortic valve and we repaired his mitral valve," Helm said.

Foster said he at first didn't want to have the surgery.

"I was not planning on staying," he said. "Then they told me what they knew and my daughter showed up. They played the 'grandkids' card."

Since the surgery, Foster said he feels great. He credited not only Hendley for the fact he is still alive, but also Helm and his team for performing the important surgery.

"Everyone's been amazing," he said.

Helm said the story involving Hendley and Foster could be educational on all fronts. He said the fact Planet Fitness trains its employees and had a defibrillator on scene was vitally important.

"These weren't around five years ago," he said of the life-saving devices.

Helm said Foster's experience should also serve as a wake-up call to people who may have heart problems and are too afraid to get them checked out.

"It's a good thing for everybody to know," he said.

With Thanksgiving coming, Foster said, he's thankful he will have a chance to celebrate the holiday with his family. Foster said he imagines this holiday, more than any other, will be a special one.

The Rye man said he is looking forward to getting back to his life once he's recovered, adding he'll surely feel like he's in good hands when is able to go back to the gym.

"I'm looking forward to working out again," he said.

Bystander helps to save man in cardiac arrest at Ottawa tennis club

By Meghan Hurley, The Ottawa Citizen November 24, 2011

OTTAWA — A bystander at an Ottawa tennis club helped to save a 79-year-old man who suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest Thursday afternoon.

Paramedics responded to a call for a man in cardiac arrest West Ottawa Tennis Club around 2:37 p.m.

A paramedic communications officer guided the caller through CPR and using a defibrillator.

When advanced-care paramedics arrived, the man regained a pulse.

Paramedics treated the man with advanced airway management and cardiac monitoring.

The man was taken to hospital in serious conditions.

Paramedics said calling 911, early CPR, defibrillation and advanced paramedic care dramatically increases heart attack survival rates.

This was the second time in the past few days that early CPR and defibrillation helped to save a person in cardiac arrest.

Bystanders at a curling rink helped save a 66-year-old man after he suffered a heart attack Tuesday evening.

The man regained a pulse after bystanders gave him CPR and used a defibrillator before paramedics arrived at the RCMP Curling Rink around 6:30 p.m.

Paramedics intubated the man and gave him medication before he was taken to hospital in serious condition.

mhurley@ottawacitizen.com twitter.com/meghan_hurley © Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

This is the way it is supposed to work...

The three Whiteland students gathered around their classmate as his body convulsed. The boy had gone into a seizure, his eyes rolling back in his head and his limbs jerking in spasms. Suddenly he stopped breathing and went limp. Katie Foster, Brittni Dodd and Mercedes Hart had practiced CPR for hours in their health careers classes. Now, they were called on to act. The three Whiteland Community High School students helped save the life of a classmate on a school bus Tuesday morning.

Technically, he was right...

Bob Ruthman died at Andy Rooney's memorial service. as reported on AntiMusic.com On Thursday Andy Rooney's College Roommate Suffers Cardiac Arrest At Memorial was a top story. Here is the recap: (TMZ) Andy Rooney's college roommate was revived after going into cardiac arrest at a memorial for the CBS commentator yesterday.

Andy's son, Brian Rooney, got up on a chair and announced to the crowd that Ruthman had died.

We are now told the FDNY revived Ruthman and he is currently in intensive care at a New York hospital.

OK, teammates, this is not complex

66% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home.

Many cardiac arrest are accompanied by intermittent, gasping respirations. That sounds like intermittent, loud snoring.

Fewer than a third of all cardiac arrests benefit from Bystander CPR.

If the person you live with does not know how to perform Bystander CPR, you are ten times more likely to stay dead if you suffer a sudden cardiac arrest, as someone in this country does every 90 seconds.

If the point hasn't escaped you, get your spouse trained in Bystander CPR immediately.

www.slicc.org

PLEASE!

Farwell teen honored for saving neighbor

Published: Friday, November 11, 2011 By SUSAN FIELD Clare Managing Editor

Tyler Mester didn’t know the first thing about cardiopulmonary resuscitation when he heard a neighbor’s call for help nearly two weeks ago.

That didn’t stop Tyler, 16, from rushing to his neighbor’s side and calling 911.

Listening to an emergency dispatcher, Tyler, a sophomore at Farwell High School, followed directions on where to place his hands to perform CPR.

Meanwhile, a crew from Mobile Medical Response ambulance service was en route.

Tyler’s actions Oct. 30 likely saved his neighbor’s life, MMR Supervisor Matt Drake said Friday during a Veterans Day assembly at Farwell High School.

After students, teachers and staff paid tribute to those who have fought for America’s freedoms, Drake and other MMR staff took the stage to give Tyler a medal and plaque for his efforts.

“He came to someone in the community in his time of need,” Drake said, adding that Tyler’s actions impacted rescuers and others in the healthcare profession.

Tyler performed chest compressions while paramedics rushed to the scene.

“Tyler did this without being asked,” Drake said. “It’s a pretty important thing for a young person of his age.”

Physician James Inman, medical director of emergency services at MidMichigan Medical Center-Clare, who was on duty when Tyler’s neighbor was rushed to the hospital, also offered praise.

Often times, patients are in full cardiac arrest when arriving at emergency rooms and can’t be helped, Inman said.

There is no question in his mind that Tyler’s neighbor survived because of his efforts and those of MMR paramedics, Inman said.

Tyler was instrumental in saving his neighbor’s life, the physician said.

Without Tyler’s help, paramedics would not have been able to perform their jobs as effectively as they did, Drake said.

Tyler, however, took the attention -- including applause from students and staff -- in stride.

He said he simply did what had to be done and that he was surprised to find out he was being rewarded for his efforts.

Tyler received gifts from MMMC-Clare.

Mary Jo Beal, the emergency operations coordinator at MMMC-Clare, gave Tyler “double congratulations” when she found that he did not know CPR when he helped his neighbor.

Beal offered Tyler lessons and said hospital officials are encouraging more young people to learn CPR.

Tyler is the son of Amy Garver and David Mester.