BCH cardiologists jump off stage to revive a man in cardiac arrest
Some would call it amazing luck, others would dub it a miracle—a
man attending a public lecture on treating irregular heartbeat went into
cardiac arrest at the program and was revived by the cardiologists presenting the talk.
Last Tuesday, April 16, Drs.
Srini Iyengar,
Bryan Mahan and
Sameer Oza of Boulder Heart were conducting a lecture on atrial fibrillation—a
potentially dangerous abnormal heart rhythm—in the auditorium of
the Longmont Museum.
In the middle of their presentation, a woman stood up and calmly stated
that the man next to her wasn’t feeling well. The man, who wasn't
identified, then passed out and slumped over in his seat.
Without hesitation, Drs. Iyengar and Oza jumped off the stage to help the
man, while Dr. Mahan called 9-1-1. Audience members quickly made way for
the doctors as they lifted the man out of his seat and carried him to
the side of the auditorium.
The doctors checked the man for a pulse but felt nothing, indicating he
was in cardiac arrest. Within seconds, Dr. Iyengar began performing hands-only
CPR compressions.
A cardiac arrest occurs when an electrical malfunction makes the heart
beat irregularly, causing a person to lose consciousness. Death can occur
within minutes if the victim doesn’t receive treatment. But if there’s
someone nearby who knows how to perform CPR, that person's chance
of survival doubles or triples.
“After Dr. Iyengar started administering CPR, the man’s pulse
returned and became stronger. He soon regained consciousness,” Dr.
Oza said. “It was the best possible situation for this man. Had
he not decided to attend our lecture, he wouldn’t have had cardiologists
available to treat him in seconds. The situation could’ve turned
out very differently.”
Wendy Driscoll, who was at the lecture, said, “It was incredible
seeing firsthand what these doctors must do every day.”
Now for the other interesting part: The amazing incident wasn’t a
show-stopper. The audience stayed seated through the CPR and arrival of
paramedics. After the paramedics left with the patient, the doctors, unfazed,
returned to the stage to finish their presentation.
“I guess it was all in a day’s work for BCH cardiologists,”
Driscoll said.