Squash player saved by quick-thinking fitness fans
A squash player who collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest during a match in Wolverhampton was saved by quick thinking members of the public.
The man in his 60s was playing at The Bert Williams Leisure Centre when he fell ill,
Staff and users at the centre started CPR before using a defibrillator on site which helped restart the man's heart.
He was fully resuscitated by the time ambulance staff arrived and was taken to New Cross Hospital for further emergency treatment.
West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman Claire Brown said: "Staff grabbed the centre's automated external defibrillator, a device used to help restart the heart, and delivered three shocks. "When ambulance staff arrived, they were greeted by a patient who had been successfully resuscitated and praised the remarkable actions of the bystanders.
"The man, who had a pulse and was breathing by himself, was given further emergency treatment by medics before being taken by land ambulance on blue lights to New Cross Hospital."
MERIT Trauma Doctor Jon Hulme, said: "Quite a lot of people freeze when faced with circumstances such as this but, actually, it was the complete opposite here. The bystanders quickly recognised the man was in cardiac arrest and started CPR and used the defibrillator straight away.
"A significant number of people who survive after a cardiac arrest sustain some brain damage in the first few minutes of stopping breathing if resuscitation is delayed; starting CPR early is vital. This gentleman has got a good chance of recovering because of their actions, they did a truly fantastic job."
