Wednesday 4th June 2014 – 10.00pm – Claire Brown.
A man who suffered a cardiac arrest at Alton Towers in North Staffordshire earlier today is tonight recovering in hospital thanks to the quick actions of passers-by and Alton Towers staff.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called by staff at Alton Towers at around 4.30pm this afternoon (Wednesday) after a man suffered a cardiac arrest within the theme park grounds. A community paramedic, an ambulance crew and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Tatenhill attended the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “The 41-year-old man was walking through the theme park with his family when he suddenly collapsed and went into cardiac arrest.
“A passing off duty GP and ambulance technician quickly rushed to his aid followed by a community first responder from Alton Towers who bought an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) from the medical centre.
“The team quickly commenced CPR, administering about eight cycles of chest compressions on the man. They used the defibrillator to deliver two shocks to the man’s heart and successfully managed to restart his heart.
“When the first ambulance staff arrived the man was breathing for himself and, when the air ambulance landed, he was sitting up and talking. The man was assessed by ambulance staff and given further treatment before he was airlifted to University Hospital North Staffordshire where he was said to be in a stable condition upon arrival.
“This was an excellent example of how important it is to start CPR quickly in cardiac arrest cases. If it hadn’t been for the bystanders and CFR, ambulance staff commented that it was unlikely the man would’ve survived.”
ENDS
Congratulations to all the initial responders who went into auto-mode and did exactly what they are trained to do resulting in a successful recovery from the casualty who was in the right place at the right time. I wish you a speedy recovery back to full health. From a retired former ambulance officer.
My boys and I would just like to say how very grateful we are to all the people who helped my husband to survive this, especially the medically trained people who were off duty. You are all truly amazing! Thank you so much! x