The defibrillator and good CPR are the two most vital parts of any resuscitation, and it is something that anyone can do to help save lives! This week, thanks to MDA, four lives were saved in just one hour.
Dozens of calls are received each hour by MDA’s 101 Dispatch Center. In the space of 60 minutes yesterday, four of those calls were to patients who had collapsed in cardiac arrest. The EMTs and paramedics in the Dispatch Center provided life-saving instructions, including how to perform CPR and where to find a defibrillator. After several tense moments, all four patients were revived.
At 15.16 a report was received of a collapsed truck driver near Shemen Beach in Haifa. An MDA EMT who arrived on scene used a defibrillator to shock the 30 year old patient, bringing him back to life, and he was conveyed fully conscious to hospital.
At 15.27 a 71 year old construction worker collapse while at work in Nazareth. On arrival, an MDA team found him with no pulse and no breathing, and after extensive resuscitation efforts, including the use of a defibrillator, he was conveyed to hospital where he regained consciousness and recovered.
At 15.46 a 61 year old collapsed at a country club in the Sharon region. With guidance from MDA’s 101 Dispatchers, nearby members of the public were directed to a public access defibrillator (PAD) in the vicinity which shocked the patient, and after extensive treatment from the team he was conveyed to hospital conscious, alert and stable.
At 16.04 a 70 year old suddenly collapsed in his home in Holon. An MDA EMT who arrived on scene used the defibrillator, shocked the patient and brought him back to life. He too was conveyed by MDA teams to Wolfson Hospital while fully conscious.
The defibrillator is a life-saving piece of equipment. Magen David Adom has made thousands of them available to the public, easily accessible, with the 101 Dispatch Center able to grant access remotely. In cardiac arrest, every second counts!