EXCLUSIVE: Following Cardiac Arrest, EMT Performs CPR On His Neighbour Saving His Life
Kiryat Ata – On Wednesday night in Kiryat Ata, United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yoni Tehila was at home in his apartment, relaxing on the couch after a long day at work. Yoni and his family had just moved into the apartment six months prior and were getting to know the neighbourhood.
At 8:00 p.m., Yoni’s emergency communications device began to sound, alerting him to a nearby medical emergency. Upon looking at the app, Yoni realized that the address was right next door. Yoni’s 70-year-old neighbour was having difficulty breathing when his family member called for help.
Yoni quickly ran down his building’s staircase and out to his ambucycle where he grabbed his medical bag and ran on foot to the next-door apartment building. After locating the address, Yoni found the 70-year-old man completely unconscious on the floor, pulseless and not breathing. Yoni quickly introduced himself as an EMT and got to work.
Due to Yoni’s speedy arrival, the EMT spent five minutes administering single-provider CPR. Yoni first attached his defibrillator which did not advise a shock. Using a pocket mask to deliver ventilations between chest compressions, Yoni administered multiple rounds of CPR before additional volunteers arrived at the scene.
After receiving back-up, an EMT took over chest compressions so Yoni could attach his oxygen tank and deliver rescue breaths with a proper ventilatory device. Ten minutes later, a mobile intensive care ambulance arrived at the scene and administered advanced life support treatments including adrenaline and airway intubation.
After an additional ten minutes of continued resuscitative efforts including the administering of medications, the man’s pulse finally returned in a stable manner. The man’s vitals were checked and showed that he was recovering nicely. After a quick briefing with the man’s family on the patient’s medical history, which was extensive, the man was transported to the nearest hospital for further care.
“Saving your neighbour’s life is certainly a way to get to know your neighbourhood,” commented Yoni. “I think that the overall mission of United Hatzalah was expressed that night, arriving quickly and providing immediate medical care. I was alone for five minutes because of how close I was, but nonetheless I still provided medical care by starting CPR and saved the man’s life. I am happy to park my ambucycle outside, to let everyone know that in our neighbourhood, emergency medical care is close by and that I am ready for any emergency. That, in turn, helps the resiliency of my community.”
