Type of incident - Cardiac Arrest
Date of incident - 06/12/07
Time - 3.25pm
Location - Walderslade, Kent

Steven had just picked up his grand-daughter, Chloe, from school, when he suffered a sudden heart attack. A neighbour and the deputy head of the school rushed over, started CPR and managed to bring him out of cardiac arrest twice.

The emergency services were called, and the Kent Air Ambulance deployed. Because it was dusk, the Air Ambulance could not transport Steven to hospital, and had to return to its base at Marden. However, the crew stayed and accompanied Steven to Medway Hospital in the land ambulance, working constantly to keep him alive. Steven was then rushed into the resuscitation unit.

Steven was in a critical condition for many hours. Doctors later told Steven that they had felt, at the time, that he was unlikely to survive. Steven was in hospital for 16 days, during which time tests were carried out to monitor his recovery.

Three months after the incident, Steven has suffered no reaction. He hopes to return to work shortly, but has to receive the all-clear from his consultant first. His consultant has been astounded at the recovery that Steven has made, and, has since told him that he believes the presence of a doctor on board the Air Ambulance saved his life.

Steven visited the base in early 2008, to meet the crew that helped to save him that day. ‘I think they’re all brilliant. I never thought that I’d be in the situation of needing them, but my heart attack came out of the blue. They provide a wonderful service and without them I don’t think I’d be here today.’

Leigh Curtis, Clinical Manager with the Kent Air Ambulance comments, ‘It was our last job of the day. The aircraft had to leave us because of fading light. The land crew did a fantastic job in getting a pulse back. We worked together as a team and tried to support them in what they had done. We built on their foundations, constantly fighting to get his pulse back. By the time we got to hospital, we had an output and had a great transfer over to the hospital staff. It was a classic life and death situation.’.

 

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