Cardiac Sciene AEDs like this are being put on the trains.

December 27, 2012 1:04 PM

CHICAGO (CBS) – Metra is installing new life-saving defibrillators on its trains.
WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports officials demonstrated the use of the automated external defibrillators on a dummy Thursday morning at Millennium Station.
Metra Board Chairman Brad O’Halloran said the portable defibrillators will be installed on about 300 Metra train cars.
“We are adding something to our trains that, hopefully, none of us ever have to use,” he said.
Anyone can use one of the AEDs, which won’t shock a patient unless it’s necessary.
Gov. Pat Quinn said it’s a great step forward.
“There’s a passage in scripture, and it says ‘if you save one life, you save the whole world,’” Quinn said.
The defibrillators actually talk users through the process of using the devices to monitor a person’s heart rhythm, and applying a shock to restore normal heart rhythm.
Dr. Amer Aldeen, an emergency physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said “even before professional medical personnel arrive, bystanders can save the lives of their fellow citizens. Performing chest compressions and using an AED can almost triple survival outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest.”
Tracy Trimbull, a Naperville resident, has twice used an AED at the health club where she works.
“They tell you when to put the pads on, they tell you whether to push the button or not, and you can’t hurt anybody,” she said. “Anybody can be a hero here, absolutely.”
The Regional Transportation Authority was covering the $700,000 cost of the defibrillators.

WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports officials demonstrated the use of the automated external defibrillators on a dummy Thursday morning at Millennium Station.

Metra Board Chairman Brad O’Halloran said the portable defibrillators will be installed on about 300 Metra train cars.

“We are adding something to our trains that, hopefully, none of us ever have to use,” he said.

[cbs-audio url=http://cbschicago.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/defib-w2.mp3 size=340px download=false name="Metra Trains Getting AEDs" artist="WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser"]

Anyone can use one of the AEDs, which won’t shock a patient unless it’s necessary.

Gov. Pat Quinn said it’s a great step forward.

“There’s a passage in scripture, and it says ‘if you save one life, you save the whole world,’” Quinn said.

The defibrillators actually talk users through the process of using the devices to monitor a person’s heart rhythm, and applying a shock to restore normal heart rhythm.

Dr. Amer Aldeen, an emergency physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said “even before professional medical personnel arrive, bystanders can save the lives of their fellow citizens. Performing chest compressions and using an AED can almost triple survival outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest.”

Tracy Trimbull, a Naperville resident, has twice used an AED at the health club where she works.

“They tell you when to put the pads on, they tell you whether to push the button or not, and you can’t hurt anybody,” she said. “Anybody can be a hero here, absolutely.”

The Regional Transportation Authority was covering the $700,000 cost of the defibrillators.

If you’re one of those individuals, then this is the right business for you, as a wholesale distributor. In this line of business, you will be experiencing a lot of haggling, trade of goods, and profit managing. But because of modern day business of trade, wholesaling has become one of the largest known industries in the world.

The Life of a Distributor

As you know, products go through processes before it gets to the hands of its consumers. Manufacturers produce products such as canned goods for example. Then, the canned goods go through the process of being delivered to the retailers. Then the retailers sell those canned goods to their respective consumers. But there is a process in between the two, the manufacturer and retailer. And this is where the distributors are commonly found.

Distributors work as it’s named after, to distribute goods from manufacturers to retailers. Some distributors also work as retailers, selling goods directly to the consumers or the end-users. But more commonly, distributor works selling their goods to retailers or another distributor in which the process of goods reaching the end-user continues on.

Wholesale trade includes establishments that sell their products directly to retailers, merchants, contractors and/or industrial, institutional and commercial users.

Wholesale distribution firms, which sell both durable goods which include furniture, office equipment, industrial supplies and other goods that can be used repeatedly, and nondurable goods which includes printing and writing paper, groceries, chemicals and periodicals, don’t sell to ultimate household consumers.

There are three types of operations that can perform the functions of wholesale trade; these are the wholesale distributors, manufacturers’ sales branches and offices; and agents or brokers or commission agents. But as for you, as you being the wholesale distributor, you will be working as an individual who independently owns and operates a firm that will buy and sell products to retailers and other wholesale distributors. Generally, such operations are run from one or more warehouses where inventory goods are received and later shipped to customers.

To put it simply, as the owner of a wholesale distributorship business, you will have to buy products or goods to sell at a price that you can gain profit, much like what a retail business do. But the only difference of a retail business from wholesale distributorship business is that you won’t have to go out on the end-user’s field, but instead work directly with other business holders such as retail, and they are the ones responsible in delivering the goods to the consumers.
Have a hands-on experience of wholesale clothing business with Seven Wholesale. Visit Seven Wholesale below for more details.

Before Your Journey

Now before taking on the wholesale distributorship business, it is necessary to learn what it takes to become a successful wholesale distributor.

Today, total U.S. wholesale distributor sales are approximately $3.2 trillion. Since 1987, wholesale distributors’ share of U.S. private industry gross domestic product or the GDP has remained steady at 7 percent, with segments ranging from grocery and food-service distributors in which make up 13 percent of the total, or $424.7 billion in revenues to furniture and home furnishings wholesalers which comprise 2 percent of the total, or $48.7 billion in revenues.

If you look at it in a certain point of view, the field of wholesale distribution is really just a game of buying and selling goods or stuff. And the way to win it is by having good negotiating skills, keen sense of knowing what’s hot and what’s not such as in a wholesale clothing business, and a good sense of salesmanship.

In this line of business, it is required for you to have the necessary experience on how to handle a business, having skills of all areas are most preferred. Most experts agree that having a sales background can really make a cut in a business of wholesale distributorship, such as also having public relational skills that is also included in being a salesperson.

Apart from sales skills, you should also have the necessary operational skills for running a wholesale distribution business. This includes financial and business management skills with experience are important, as also the ability to handle the back-end or back stage operatio

more. Of course, these back-end functions can also be handled by employees with experience in these areas if your budget allows.

The key elements for a successful wholesale distributorship business are by operating very efficiently and quick inventory turn-overs. This is the main strategy in how to make a business of wholesale distributorship more successful. Success in wholesale distribution involves moving from a customer service/sales orientation to the operational process of managing a very complex business.

Experience more about wholesale clothing business with Seven Wholesale.

Choosing the right Location

When setting up the location for your shop, your needs will vary depending on what product you chose to specialize in. For example, someone can run a successful wholesale clothing business from the basement of their homes. But storage needs would eventually hamper the company’s success.

Usually, wholesale distributors are not located in the field of the end-users such as on downtown shopping malls, wholesale distribution companies, like a wholesale clothing business, are normally starts in areas where land is not too expensive and where buying or renting warehouse space is much more affordable. But it is also important that your shop is in close proximity of what you are supplying, such as in a wholesale clothing business where your shop is in close proximity of a clothing store.

See what’s the hottest trends in wholesale clothing business with Seven Wholesale.

Choosing Your Main Industry

When starting your wholesale distributorship business, you won’t find yourself very alone in this world. There are approximately 300,000 distributors in the United States. Wholesale distribution contributes 7 percent to the value of the nation’s private industry GDP or Gross domestic product, and most distribution channels are still highly fragmented and comprise many small, privately held companies.

About a quarter of $3.6 trillion in sales comes from general merchandise, apparel and furniture sales or GAF. This is a positive for wholesale distributors, such as a wholesale clothing business, who rely heavily on retailers as customers.
Such goods come directly from manufacturers or through wholesalers and brokers. Then they are sold in department, high-volume and specialty stores-all of which will make up your client base once you open the doors of your wholesale distribution firm.

Now this is truly, very good news in starting a wholesale distributorship business. But there are also some risks that that starters such as yourself that you should be aware of. And one of those risks is consolidation.

Consolidation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers or acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. To combat the consolidation trend, many independent distributors are turning to the specialty market.

As distribution has evolved from a local to a regional to a national business, the national companies, can’t or don’t want, to cost-effectively service certain types of customers. Often, small customers get left behind or are just not profitable for the large distributors to serve.

Chosen what kind of business to take on? Then why not try your hands on a wholesale clothing business. And with Seven Wholesale, you can assure that your business will grow in success. For more details about the wholesale clothing business, visit for more info.

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Xavier Hunter, 16, collapsed Nov. 6 from a condition he was unaware of at the time that caused an irregularly fast heartbeat. An announcement made over Kent Meridian High School’s PA system alerted Officer Scott Rankin, the school’s resource officer, who ran to his vehicle in the school’s parking lot, returning with a defibrillator.

Rankin used the defibrillator and performed CPR until EMTs arrived at the scene, and Hunter was rushed to the hospital.

“I remember when I woke up in the hospital bed, but I don’t remember anything from before that,” said Hunter.

“He’s a hero.  If it wasn’t because if him, I’d be dead, probably.”

“Most of the time, it doesn’t have a story book ending,” said Rankin.  “It’s certainly a highlight of my career.”

http://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/6058347-Video-Wash-cop-saves-student-with-defibrillator/

http://whatisadefibrillator.com/cop-uses-defibrillator-to-save-student/

Premier Greg Selinger announced the types of saces that will be required to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) installed under the Defibrillator Public Access Act at a press conference Wednesday.

“When somebody has a cardiac arrest, and the proper signage is in place and the defibrillator is there… you can actually save somebody’s life,” explained the premier of the legislation, which passed with all-party support in 2011. “This legislation is leading the country… and as time goes along there’ll be a further review to see if other facilities would benefit by having these kinds of defibrillators installed on their premise.”

For the time being facilities like gyms, arenas, community centres, golf courses, schools and airports are among the public spaces that will be required to have an AED installed by the end of January 2014. The legislation also requires the machines to be registered with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and signage must be erected to identify the locations of the defibrillators.

An advisory group including paramedics, community groups and the Heart and Stroke Foundation chose the locations that will be required to have a machine.

“Time is tissue—for every minute of cardiac arrest chances of survival decrease by 10 percent,” said Chris Broughton, president of MGEU Local 911, which represents Winnipeg paramedics. “Simply waiting for help to arrive is waiting to long.”

To help the facilities meet the requirements the province is providing more than 1,000 free defibrillators, and have worked out a deal to make more machines available at a discount.

They’re in schools, office buildings, airports and even being installed on metra trains. But how many people know where they are?

That’s the heart of a problem that can lead to unnecessary deaths from heart attack.

[worldnow id=8017735 width=385 height=288 type=video]

Three years ago, while conditioning with her Aurora University basketball team, Elizabeth Pearlman collapsed.

“All I can remember is being very tired, and something just felt weird,” said Pearlman.

The team trainer started CPR, called 911, and shocked her heart with an automatic external defibrillator or AED.

If the AED had not been there, “I would not be here, or the likelihood I would be here is very small,” said Pearlman.

In Chicago, only five percent who suffer public cardiac arrest survive. Quick response is critical.

“Following cardiac arrest, survival drops 10 percent for each minute a patient goes untreated,” said Dr. David Beiser.

But University of Chicago Doctor David Beiser says few people know where AEDs are located and there’s no central source to find them.

“At this point there isn’t one unified database of AEDs in the U.S.,” said Dr. Beiser.

So Dr. Beiser set out to create one for Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and students from U of C’s Lab School hit the streets.

They found AEDs in local schools, in churches even a few condo high-rises, locations now plotted on a web-based map with the hope of creating a smartphone app.

“That could direct rescuers to a nearby AED and potentially improve a patients chance of survival,” said Dr. Beiser.

Elizabeth Pearlman can attest to that.

“The fact that an AED was even so close is ultimately what saved my life,” said Pearlman.

Gwentdefibbers liaised with the Rotary club of Ebbw Vale and they kindly gave us as many of these as we required for our I.C.D.group members.

It’s a simple idea but it could save your life. The instructions are available on the sheets printed here.

Once the information sheet is completed it is folded in half and placed in a plastic container, approximately 5″ high, the lid is placed on it and the container is kept in the fridge door. IF more information sheets are required then please let me know and I will pass them onto you.

DON’T FORGET to place the one sticky back green cross near the handle of your front door and the other one on your fridge door.

It’s very reassuring to have this info at hand because we all panic if an ambulance is required and this way you can be certain of the correct information being given to the appropriate person.

Once again a big thank you to the Rotary club of Ebbw Vale.

Remember to click on the item of interest to enlarge the picture.

Myth #9: “AEDs are only used on people who have heart attacks, therefore they are not necessary to have in schools.”

AEDs are designed for use on victims who are in cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is defined as failure of the pumping action of the heart, resulting in loss of consciousness and absence of pulse and breathing. Therefore, someone who is having a heart attack but is still conscious will not require an AED. (If the suspected heart attack victim becomes unresponsive and they are not breathing normally, yes, they will require an AED because their heart is failing to pump effectively.)

Contrary to popular belief, children fall victim to cardiac arrest for a number of reasons including trauma, hypothermia, electrolyte imbalances (due to a diet or medication issue), drugs, electrocution and head injuries, etc. There are a number of school boards in North America who are beginning to understand the benefits of having AEDs in each of their schools. It’s exciting to see progress happening!

Myth #10: “If the victim starts breathing normally again, I can remove the AED.”

If the victim begins to breath again on their own, whether it is after they have been shocked or not, do not remove the AED. If the victim is breathing and has a normal heart rhythm again, perfect! The AED can only help from this point onwards because it will continue to reassess the victim’s heart rhythm and audibly tell you that everything is okay. If the victim’s condition changes, the AED will continue to monitor and tell you to shock if necessary. DO NOT take it off – let the paramedics remove it once they arrive.

Myth #11: “Once the paramedics arrive, I can start packing up the AED and return it to its place of storage.”

Hold your horses. Before you put the AED away, the paramedics might want to have a look at the unit and they may take away with them a memory stick device that stored all of the information about the situation. Information pertaining to how many “shocks” versus “no shocks” were administered over what period of time will be captured within the device. This arms the medical pros with additional information about the situation to better help with treatment. Knowledge really is power.

Myth #12: “If the AED says ‘shock not advised’, that means the victim is okay and we should just leave him be.”

Incorrect. Like I mentioned before, a defibrillator cannot start a heart, it can simply try to reset a heart that is beating irregularly (which is therefore not effectively pumping nutrient and oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body). So if a victim’s heart is not beating whatsoever (flat line) there will be “no shock advised” because the machine is unable to start a heart that is not moving at all. The AED will however tell you to “continue CPR”, which is exactly what you need to do to try and restore some type of shockable rhythm, as well as manually pump blood around the body to keep vital organs healthy. Therefore, stay with the victim until the paramedics arrive and follow the directions given by the AED.

Now that we have busted all of these myths, the moral of the story is: if you have an AED available in an emergency situation, have it ready to go in case the victim becomes unresponsive and is not breathing normally. Don’t second guess yourself or psyche yourself out. Remember that AEDs are designed to be used by someone with no training, and the device will only shock if it detects a “shockable rhythm” (ie: you don’t have to worry about it wrongfully shocking a person with a normal heartbeat and killing them). YOU ultimately press the button if a shock is advised. YOU are in control of the situation and AEDs are designed to enable greater control of the situation. AEDs truly do save lives.

Be calm, be confident & think common sense!

The LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator ensures you have the best equipment to fulfill the commitment you made when you decided to enter this field—to save lives. Although not everyone can be saved from sudden cardiac arrest, studies show that early defibrillation can dramatically improve survival rates.

Customized Care for Your Patient

• Easy customization of settings to meet your protocol needs in the field
• cprMAX™ technology feature gives you flexibility, so you can increase hands-on time with your patient
• ADAPTIV™ biphasic technology provides a full range of energy from 150 to 360 joules
A Rugged and Intuitive Defibrillator

• The most rugged AED ever built by Physio-Control, with an IP55 rating
• Visible and accessible battery gauge gives you the ability to assess battery readiness
• Battery performs advanced communications directly with the device so you always know the battery’s condition
• Large intuitive screen displays graphics and ECG readings Manual defibrillation (AED override) option is available
A Resuscitation Platform for Now and the Future

• Upgradeable platform and flexible setup options to help you focus on continually improving patient outcomes
• The 1000 is compatible with other Physio-Control products and services across the full spectrum of care, from the field to the hospital, including data download

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• Turn on the device
• Apply the QUIK-PAK™ electrode pads to the victim

The fully automatic model of the LIFEPAK CR Plus AED is designed to deliver a shock only if it determines a heart needs it. No one even needs to press a shock button.

The LIFEPAK CR Plus AED is also easy to own and maintain. Synchronized replacement of the electrodes and battery CHARGE-PAK™ will keep your maintenance burden at a minimum. And weekly and monthly self-tests—plus a visible readiness display with four indicators—let you know it’s ready to do its job.

Effective in maximizing the chance for survival

Although not everyone can be saved from sudden cardiac arrest, studies show that early defibrillation can dramatically improve survival rates. The LIFEPAK CR Plus AED has the capability to escalate to an industry-leading 360 joules when necessary, providing the extra power that may be needed for hard-to-defibrillate victims. Defibrillation and CPR prompts are consistent with AHA guidelines. And because the LIFEPAK CR Plus AED uses the same electrodes as other LIFEPAK devices—the choice of more EMS units worldwide than any other brand—critical time can be saved transferring victims to professional medical care.

The support you need

Put the right training resources and program management support for the LIFEPAK CR Plus AED in place for you and your employees. Physio-Control offers resources like our AED Training System and our interactive AED Challenge refresher training. Our Heart Safe Solutions are designed to give you a flexible and comprehensive AED program that is right for your budget.

AED users should be trained in CPR and use of the AED. Please consult your physician.

Industry Leading Warranty

At Physio-Control, we stand by the quality of our lifesaving products. We even offer an 8-year warranty on the LIFEPAK CR Plus AED, the longest in the industry.

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The Lifeline AED is sold as part of the DCF package, which includes the following:

• DDU-100 Lifeline AED
• DCF-200 Five-Year Battery Pack or DCF-210 Seven-Year Battery Pack (both with 9V Batteries)
• DDP-2001 Adult Defibrillation Pads
• User Manual
• Quick Use Card

The Lifeline AED is compatible with both AHA 2010 and ERC 2010.

The Lifeline AED is cleared by the FDA and carries the CE Mark.

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http://www.rsnmedical.com/Defibtech-LifeLine-DCF-100-AED-Defibrillator.html

The new defibrillators were developed by Zoll Medical out of Chelmsford.

They can not only provide a life-saving jolt, but they provide audio and visual assistance to help people provide CPR and even let someone know whether an electric shock is needed.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Mark Katic reports.

Download: logan-defib-1.mp3|titles=New%20AEDs%20At%20Logan|artists=Mark%20Katic

“They offer more with written instructions, verbal instructions, and visual instructions. I believe that this is the only airport that has these at this time,” said Massport spokesman Phil Orlandella.

There are 164 new ones scattered “strategically” around the airport.

For I have known them all already, known them all:

Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;

from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T. S. Eliot

Like the famous Prufrock, I’m measuring out my life—only not in coffee spoons, but rather in those pink plastic containers every patient gets upon admittance to our hospital.  The “pinkies” hold toilet items:  toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, soap, lotion, etc.  The hospital disposes of them after each patient, but I always take ours home because they are infinitely useful for holding plants, collecting garden weeds, scrubbing floors, corraling puzzle pieces, or whatever.

Like Prufrock, I’m measuring out my life—not with T. S.Eliot’s existentialist despair*, but rather with the divine assurance that “all things work together for good, for those who are in Christ Jesus and are called according to His purpose.”  The pink containers which I’ve brought home from hospital stays (both Joe’s and mine) also serve as a scoreboard.  We have accumulated 16 pinkies since October, 2010.

Our latest pink container settled into my storeroom yesterday.  Last Thursday, Joe had a heart attack while sitting in his reclaimer at home.  We were taken to Emergency in a shrieking ambulance, and Joe was admitted to the hospital.  A defibrillator/pacemaker was inserted to prevent future arrythmias.  His arteries are severely clogged, he has had 6 by-passes, and he’s “stented out”; his vessels cannot accept more angioplasties or stents.  Joe also has diabetes and high blood pressure.

I’m measuring life, counting and measuring each day while letting the pinkies keep score.  J. Alfred Prufrock was a kind of walking Ecclesiastes, but without a knowledge of the Lord; Prufrock’s life was weary and meaningless.  How thankful I am, to know and believe God’s Word and realize that we are pilgrims on earth—destined for eternal glory with Him!  Because of our Lord, we never cease to hope.  Because of Him, every moment is pregnant with meaning!  Even our most abject sorrow has a purpose!

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”  Psalm 90:12

*Poet T. S. Eliot’s life did not end in the despair expressed in his fictional character, J. Alfred Prufrock.  In 1927, Eliot became a Christian, and left wasteland of existentialism.  Eliot’s last years reflected his newly discovered faith.

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Two years ago Thursday, a postal worker named Art Tilson died at the Minneapolis Post Office Distribution Center. His friends believe his life could have been saved if there had been an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in the building.

As they did last year on the first anniversary of Tilson’s death, several of his co-workers demonstrated outside the post office.

This year, the postal workers were joined by members of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivors Network. They also believe the Post Office should have at least one AED in the building.

After Art Tilson’s death in this building in 2009, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community offered AEDs to the Distribution Center — at no cost. However, the post office says if this building got AEDs, they would have to be supplied to 900 other Post Offices in the district.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Greg Danner, one of Tilson’s friends. “We’re trying to get our Senators and Congress people involved, because we think if they would be willing to apply a little bit of pressure, maybe we could have this accomplished by now. “

A spokesperson for the post office said there are more than 60 first aid and CPR certified volunteers on staff here. Some survivors of sudden cardiac arrest say CPR alone is not enough, however.

“Sudden Cardiac Arrest is an electrical problem,” said Natasha Fleischman, who is a cardiac arrest survivor. “So, it’s when the heart starts beating chaotically, so that no blood gets pumped out to the rest of the body, and you die within minutes.”

The post office issued a statement Thursday saying, “We have sent a request for assessment of two proposals for a pilot AED program at the Minneapolis Processing & Distribution Center.”

However, protestors said they are frustrated that two years have gone by and there are still no AEDs here.

International Shipping Blog for Medical Equipment

When inquiring to purchase new, used or refurbished medical equipment that requires international air or sea shipment, it is important to choose a vendor that understands the requirements.  It is vital for the company to have in-house shipping services, providing you with the safest and most cost effective solution to shipping.

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Visit Medical Equipment Dynamics, Inc. website today to see the wide offering of new, used and refurbished medical equipment available for international shipping.

Medical Equipment Dynamics is pleased to offer this blog to the medical equipment technology community. We will be providing relevant, helpful information on the products we specialize in and current industry news.  Some of the equipment we will feature includes: anesthesia machines, defibrillators & AED’s, EKG machines, endoscopy, electro surgical units, surgical mircroscopes, patient monitors, procedure chairs, IV pumps, c arms, stress test systems, surgical tables, and ultrasound too name a few.

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VIPAN NIKORE, MD

I’ve played over a thousand ice hockey games in my life, but I had no idea that last month’s adult men’s league game in Cleveland would be the most memorable. I grew up in Canada, three blocks from Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player ever, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my recent game was more important than any game that my former neighbor played. This game was literally a matter of life or death.

I almost didn’t show up to the game. I had just landed in Cleveland from New York City after attending a close friend’s wedding. I’d landed at 8:15pm, jumped in my car and dialed into a conference call for my organization uFLOW, arriving and finishing my call barely in time for the 9:30pm puck drop. I didn’t plan my schedule around the game; the timing just happened to work out.

It was close to the end of the 2nd period when I heard our captain, Brandon Dynes, yell something and race off the ice. I soon realized he skated off to call 911. I looked down at the end of the bench and saw that our teammate Harley was unresponsive. Harley is 69 years old (though could pass for 50) and as the eldest player in our men’s league has been an inspiration to many of us. I quickly went over to assess him and found he had no pulse, was not breathing, and not responding to verbal or physical stimuli. I was fortunate that the opposing team had a physician playing as well, Dr. John Wood, an orthopedic surgeon. John quickly came over and could not find a pulse either. Knowing end organ damage such a anoxic brain injury can occur quickly, I grabbed Harley and layed him on the bench and started compressions, pressing his chest extra hard knowing I was going through a layer of hockey pads. I later quickly ripped off his pads off to assure better compressions.

We were lucky to have many people providing great help: calling 911, getting the automatic external defibrillator (AED), and providing history; others with health and life support experience contributed critical medical and resuscitation observations. With obviously no way to administer oxygen, we began mouth-to-mouth while continuing CPR. Harley continued to have no pulse for over five minutes. Finally, another player skated the AED across the ice to us, and John placed the pads on his chest. Rhythm was analyzed and electrical shock was advised. John then made sure everyone was clear and pressed the shock button. Still no pulse. I could feel my teammate’s hands getting colder as blood flow was being compromised. I began to worry as knew that most studies show that witnessed arrests have a survival percentage in the single digits.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was playing hockey one moment, frustrated that their goalie was saving absolutely everything I shot at him, and the next moment I was doing CPR, mouth-to-mouth, and defibrillating my teammate, all in my full hockey gear. I’ve lost count of how many code blues (cardiac arrests) I’ve been involved in, but this was my first with hockey skates on and without a massive medical team, advanced equipment, and powerful IV medications. The plea “Don’t die on us” always fills my head in these situations, but knowing this was a friend and teammate, it felt even more personal.

We continued CPR and soon checked his heart rhythm again with the AED, but this time it advised against a shock. He likely was previously in ventricular fibrillation and then converted into asystole or PEA arrest after the shock, as he still had no pulse. The ambulance arrived, and I gave Emergency Medical Services the story.  They lifted him on the board in preparation to transport him to the closest emergency department. Around that time I heard a member of EMS say, “He’s got a pulse.” Thank God. What a relief. Harley was lifted into the ambulance, and we waited anxiously before two EMTs came out and thanked us. His pulse and vital signs had stabilized. I quickly changed out of my sweaty hockey gear and drove to the hospital to check on him.

It was truly a team effort, and I wish everyone involved last night could have been there to hear the emergency department doctor tell me, “You guys saved his life.” By then Harley was alert and talking, and his first words to me were “Did we win?” He looked well but had EKG changes and was soon transferred to the Cleveland Clinic Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. He had a 99% occlusion of his left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery (one of the heart’s primary heart vessels) and our interventional cardiologists at the Cleveland Clinic proceeded to place a cardiac stent. I stopped by while at work everyday to see him and watched him improve. He was soon discharged and is currently recovering well.

What happened during my game was similar to what happened to Jiri Fischer of the Detroit Red Wings in 2005.  You can see it here (though note it was not a seizure as the coach says):

The reasons for the heart malfunctioning in these cases were different, and of course there were 15,000 fans and a medical team at the Detroit game, compared to a whopping five fans and no medical team at my game. However, the sequence was similar: Player retreats to the bench after exerting himself on a shift and soon becomes unresponsive. CPR is performed and an AED is applied, showing that the heart is in ventricular fibrillation. The patient is shocked. Heart rhythm is restored and vitals stabilized.

AED’s should be available where people exert themselves, where there is a high volume of people, or where people at risk for a heart attack live. They should be placed in easily accessible locations to assure quick retrieval. When a patient’s heart stops pumping properly and blood no longer is circulating, an abnormal quivering rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VFib) sometimes is the cause. VFib is generally a by product of another underlying heart abnormality, a blocked heart vessel in my teammates case. A patient in VFib needs to quickly have normal heart rhythm restored by a defibrillator, otherwise he or she will likely die. Defibrillation needs to happen fast. Of course not all cardiac arrests are VFib, and the patient’s heart must be in the abnormal rhythms of VFib or ventricular tachycardia to be shocked.

CPR is of course critical to temporarily allow blood to continue to be pumped to the body’s vital organs. CPR needs to happen immediately once it is recognized there is no pulse. It is important for everyone in the public to know how to do CPR. While I’ve spent years working and studying to become a physician, the skills used last month were just basic life support skills that anyone can learn. The American Heart Association and Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada are good sites where basic CPR as well as advanced classes are listed: http://www.americanheart.org and http://www.heartandstroke.com. The sites also have other great tools for the public, such as sections on heart attack and stroke warning signs.

I’ve been a part of some fantastic feel-good stories in my young career, but on the job there is so much happening that often you don’t reflect on a big winning moment.  You’ll walk in a room with your medical team, save a life, and then just carry on as if nothing happened. Such events in the hospital are routine. That evening when I “dropped the gloves,” which in hockey parlance implies getting into a fight (I clearly “dropped” them for another reason here), it felt different. That evening, we applied the fundamentals of medicine in its raw form. All the studying and work over the years was worth it for that moment.

Vipan Nikore, MD, MBA, is an Internal Medicine Resident Physician at the Cleveland Clinic. He received an MBA from the Yale School of Management, an MD degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a BS in computer science and software engineering from the University of Western Ontario. He has led projects at UNICEF in India, the WHO in Geneva, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Citibank, UCLA, and the Ontario Ministry of Health. He is the President and Founder of the youth leadership non-profit Urban Future Leaders of the World (uFLOW). His posts are personal views and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of the Cleveland Clinic.

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