CPR Saves the Life of a Dallas Teacher

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 On Monday, November 7, 2011, at 2:15 pm, Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) paramedics David Leos and Lieutenant Greg Henderson, assigned to Rescue 54 (peak demand unit), were dispatched to Sarah Zumwalt Middle School, at 2445 East Ledbetter Drive, for an "unconscious person".

Initial reports were that the patient, a 40 year-old male, was actively seizing; but while en route, they received notice that the situation had changed and they were now responding to a "CPR in progress" – at which point Engine 25 was assigned for additional manpower. When firefighters and paramedics arrived to the patient, CPR had actually been stopped. They quickly confirmed that he was apneic and without a pulse and resumed CPR while attaching their Lifepak cardiac monitor. After initial chest compressions and rescue breaths, the patient was reassessed and found to be in Ventricular Fibrillation. With the monitor already attached, paramedics immediately delivered a 200 joule countershock and resumed CPR. During this cycle the patient began making efforts to breathe on his own, so medics halted CPR and reassessed him. This time his heart was in a life-sustaining Sinus Rhythm with a strong pulse.

Paramedics continued to assist him with his breathing, while other life-sustaining measures were implemented, before loading the patient into the rescue unit and taking him to Baylor Hospital of Dallas. Though the patient has not returned to work, he has since then been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

In addition to the great job that first responders did, DFR would like to use this as an opportunity to recognize the importance of learning and initiating bystander CPR as well as the proper use of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). Though it was later discovered that bystander CPR was stopped only when they saw paramedics pull up, we encourage anyone administering CPR to continue until emergency personnel is able to immediately take over with no interruption. In no way is this intended to minimize the efforts of paramedics; but if you look at it carefully, the unique thing about the entire sequence of events is that no medications had to be used. That being the case, it is clear that the results of our efforts (chest compressions, rescue breaths and defibrillation) could have been achieved by anyone.

According to the American Heart Association, emergency personnel treat approximately 300,000 people for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States each year. While it is notable that slightly less than 8 percent of those people survive; it is even more notable that only one-third of those people receive bystander CPR. You never know when and where you'll be faced with a situation such as this one; but just taking a short time out of your life to learn can mean saving the life of someone else.



Author:Dallas Fire-Rescue Press Release