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Thanks to an AED and a Prepared Sports Club Staff,
I Celebrate Two Birthdays
by Richard Brown
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 November
9, 2001 is the day I died. It started out much as any other day,
with a special twist—it was my birthday. As I did my morning
workout, I remember seeing the sun pouring through the floor-to
ceiling windows of the Sports Club LA in downtown Washington,
D.C.
I jumped rope as my trainer counted down the seconds on his
watch. I thought about our special family plans that night. My
wife Katherine and two of our children, Matthew (then 11 years
old) and Garrett (then nine), were taking me to a Wizards
basketball game to celebrate my birthday. I made a mental
reminder to call ahead for early dinner reservations in the
restaurant overlooking the court. Why was that my train of
thought? In my peripheral vision I could see Michael Jordan
exercising with his trainer….
That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in the hospital
many hours later, with my wife and my best friend, Harold,
standing over me. I knew considerable time had passed because
Harold lives in Florida. The first thing I said was, “I guess
this means we’re not going to the ball game tonight.”Although I
can’t remember much of that day, others relayed the events to
me. When I crumpled to the floor in sudden cardiac arrest, my
trainer yelled, “Richard is down!” Several other trainers rushed
over and one started mouth to mouth. I was turning blue. Another
trainer started CPR. I turned bluer. A third trainer called for
the AED (automated external defibrillator). When it arrived they
shaved my chest and adhered the electrodes. They only had to
shock me once to bring back a heartbeat, and I started breathing
again. |
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Elapsed
time: approximately 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes, someone
at the fitness desk called 9-1-1, but the line was busy, so a
friend ran to the fire station across the street to summon the
emergency medical services team. Shortly after I revived,
responders to a second 9-1-1 call arrived and rushed me to the
hospital. Because I was breathing normally when I arrived at the
emergency department (ED), the ED staff members thought my
collapse was due to a stroke and examined me for brain damage,
not heart damage. Later, it became clear that I had a heart
problem. A heart surgeon did an angioplasty (cleared a blocked
artery) and installed a stent, a small wire mesh tube, to help
hold the artery open. Two weeks later I was exercising again—and
have been ever since.
I was lucky. Just a few weeks before my sudden cardiac arrest, a
younger member of the health club collapsed and died. In that
case it took 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. A friend and
I who witnessed this were appalled and suggested, among other
things, that the club purchase an AED. It did, and several
trainers learned how to use it. I was the first person saved by
the AED. Without it, my five kids might not have a father today.
AEDs save lives, and they do it effectively because they stop a
condition that will kill you. Sudden cardiac arrest gives no
forewarning, and it can strike anyone. CPR would not have been
enough to save my life. Thanks to an AED and a prepared sports
club staff, I celebrate two birthdays—one in 1944 and another in
2001. |
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Note:
LIFEPAK AEDs are prescription devices. AED users should be
trained in CPR and use of the AED. Please consult your
physician. Although not everyone can be saved from sudden
cardiac arrest, studies show that survival rates can be
dramatically improved with early defibrillation. For more
information, please call 1.800.442.1142 or visit
www.medtronic-ers.com.
Medtronic Emergency Response Systems • 11811
Willows Road NE • Redmond, WA 98052 • 1.800.442.1142 •
www.medtronic-ers.com
LIFEPAK is a registered trademark of Medtronic
Emergency Response Systems Inc. Medtronic is a registered
trademark of Medtronic, Inc. ©2005 Medtronic Emergency Response
Systems, Inc. MIN 3205902-000 / CAT. 26500-001988 |
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