Cardiac Science: Lifesavers

Red Cross instructor Amber Fesmire is the director of the Noble Activity Center at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. She was featured in a recent blog by Cardiac Science. In the blog post she relates the story of a fateful day at the activity center pool, where she teaches a life-guarding class for the community and for students who work at the pool. The class features many life-saving techniques, including how to use defibrillators. On this particular day, she had to use her training not just to teach, but to save a life.

Five students in the class were in the pool. Suddenly one of the students, a high school teacher in his 50s, went into cardiac arrest, collapsing and sinking below the water.

According to the blog, "'Everyone went into action,' Fesmire recalls, adding that they initially thought the victim had suffered a seizure. They called 911."

"A couple of the students back-boarded him," she said referring to a rigid flotation board used to safely move victims of a diving accident. "We got him out of the pool, but couldn't use rescue breaths because he had swallowed so much water. We did some back blows, and hooked up the AED."

Ms. Fesmire reported further on the Cardiac Science blog, "His color started coming back, and he started breathing again."

The EMS team arrived in 15 minutes. It was extremely lucky that the AED had been administered, as it was past the critical first 7 to 10 minutes after cardiac arrest, when tissue death begins.

"Without that AED, we would have lost him," Fesmire said. "The experience put a better perspective on the need to have such a device at our facility."

The man is expected to make a full recovery.

Amber Fesmire has been teaching first aid for seven years. This is the first time she's done a rescue where she used an AED.

Cardiac Science invented the modern stress test, the single-channel electrocardiograph and the first fully automatic bedside defibrillator. Cardiac Science products enjoy an unparalleled reputation for accuracy, dependability and performance among medical professionals and emergency responders. Cardiac Science products are ideal for hospitals, cardiologists' offices and cardiac rehabilitation centers as well as for emergency rooms and EMS. They're a lifesaver!