On Monday just before 10:00 P.M., a man in his 60s suffered a cardiac arrest in his house on Anne Frank street in Ramat Gan. His son immediately called emergency services and initiated CPR.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yaakov Shlezinger was the first EMT at the scene after interrupting a late-night business meeting that was taking place one street away in order to respond to the emergency. Yaakov drove to the house of the patient and arrived within two minutes.
As the volunteer entered the house, family members directed him to the bathroom where he found the son performing chest compressions on his own father. After verifying the absence of a pulse, the first responder relieved the son and took over performing compressions for several minutes until other responders arrived.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yechezkel Rucham joined Yaakov’s effort and was about to attach his defibrillator when the EMTs checked the man’s pulse once again and were surprised to find that his pulse had been restored. The man’s pulse was weak but steady and alerted the first responders that the patient’s heart had begun beating on its own once again and that they could stop chest compressions while continuing assisted ventilation. After a few more moments, the patient’s pulse intensified and he began breathing on his own but seemed like he was gasping for air. The volunteers gently pulled him out of the bathroom and gently laid him down all the while, providing him with high-flow oxygen. As they continued to monitor his vital signs, a mobile intensive care ambulance arrived at the scene. The medical personnel at the scene carried the patient into the ambulance and he was transported to the hospital for further treatment.
“It’s always a great feeling when you help revive someone,” Yechezkel said after the incident. “In this instance, I think that we also significantly helped the family understand and take in the situation.”
Yaakov added, “There is no greater thing in this world than to save a life. I am happy that I was able to participate in this.”
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