Morning CPR training saves a life that afternoon

From ACT Ambulance Service

For many paramedics, responding to a cardiac arrest incident is business as usual. However, showing up to a cardiac arrest for a sevenyear-old, is something they certainly don’t experience every day.

That is exactly what happened when ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS) paramedics Samantha, Jarryd and Susi were on shift earlier this year.

Georgie, had been on a walk with her older siblings Rose and Eve when she collapsed and became unresponsive. Instantly the sisters ran to get their mother who called for an ambulance and started CPR, continuing until the paramedics arrived.

Once the ACTAS paramedics arrived, together with firefighters from ACT Fire & Rescue, they revived young Georgie and transported her to hospital.

A couple of weeks after the cardiac arrest Samantha, Jarryd and Susi had the opportunity to reunite with Georgie and her family. For ACTAS paramedics seeing patients back to full health is one of the rewarding elements of the job.

Georgie is now back to full health and living the life of your typical seven-year-old thanks to the quick thinking and response of her family. Upon their reunion Georgie’s mum Liz disclosed to the team that the morning of the cardiac arrest, she had attended a first aid course where she learned how to administer CPR. Her knowledge and quick thinking to administer CPR ultimately led to Georgie making a full recovery.

Georgie’s story is a reminder to all, the important role that communities can play in emergencies. Georgie’s family never imagined having to use this life saving skill, but thankfully their training and involvement in the incident played a huge part in saving her life.

In the words of ACTAS paramedic Samantha, “I think knowing how to do CPR, whether it be saving somebody that you know, your neighbour, or somebody else in your community, it’s so valuable. We’re not going to be there straight away, so having somebody be able to start CPR and keep that oxygen going around the body until we can get there with our more advanced interventions is crucial. And being able to do that for somebody in your community, I don’t think there’s anything better.”

The role of a paramedic is more than just responding to incidents. A huge part is also keeping the community informed and educated on how they can help prevent emergencies and assist if one does occur.

The best outcome for anyone involved in an emergency is for the patient to recover to full health and Samantha, Jarryd, Susi and the whole team at ACTAS are glad that she did. We thank them all, as well as Georgie’s family for sharing their story with us.