January 26, 2007 – Oliver Trodyk, 22, a math and physics double major at Winona State University in Minnesota, was playing ultimate frisbee on December 5th, when he suddenly collapsed, a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. His teammates thought he was having a seizure—they knew he had a history of asthma. They called for help and emergency medical services (EMS) arrived about 10 minutes later. Upon arrival, paramedics confirmed asystole on their monitor. With cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), ventricular fibrillation (VF) evolved and they were able to restore Trodyk’s pulse after four shocks with a defibrillator. He was transported to Winona Community Hospital and then transferred by Flight for Life to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

January 23, 2007 – HOUSTON – An 11th grader at Debakey High School for Health Professions was playing basketball in the school gym on January 11th when he suddenly collapsed. Students called 9-1-1 and ran for help. Elmer Villatoro, a physical education instructor, and two other teachers, provided CPR and used the school’s defibrillator to resuscitate the victim. According to school officials, the student remains in critical condition.

Debakey, named for the heart pioneer Michael Debakey, MD, is part of the Houston Independent School District. HISD last year became the first school district in Texas to place defibrillators in every school.

January 23, 2007 – Immediate intervention saved the life of Reynold Nikaido, 50, after he collapsed suddenly at his home in Halimaile. His son, Ryan, 19, began CPR and sent for neighbor, Chris Gilbert, a paramedic who keeps an automated external defibrillator (AED) in his home. Gilbert used the AED to restore a normal heartbeat. Firefighters and paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later. Nikaido’s heart stopped several more times on the way to the Maui Memorial Medical Center. He was later transferred to Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu, where he received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

Gilbert, a longtime CPR-AED instructor and early defibrillation advocate, is accustomed to saving lives on the job. But it was the first time Gilbert had used his personal defibrillator to help save a life.

January 23, 2007 – Andy Nelson, 58, of Longwood, Florida, recently suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) while mowing his lawn. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him on the way to the hospital. Finally, his heart was shocked back to life, but he remained in a coma. To prevent brain damage, Nelson was treated with mild therapeutic hypothermia using high tech pads filled with cold water. Nelson’s body temperature was lowered for 24 hours, allowing his brain to recuperate slowly. According to a report in the Centre Daily Times (http://www.centredaily.com), Nelson and his wife are convinced that cooling made all the difference in his recovery and quality of life.

January 22, 2007 - Joseph Sanfilippo, D-Binghamton (NY), would like to improve access to early defibrillation in Broome County, NY. A state law that goes into effect in September will require places of public assembly with a capacity of 1,000 or more to have a defibrillator on site and to have someone trained to use it. Sanfilippo plans to introduce county-wide legislation that would also mandate defibrillator programs in smaller-sized venues. He was motivated by the death last fall of Binghamton High School lacrosse player John Mack, who died after being struck in the chest with a lacrosse stick.

January 22, 2007 – NEW YORK – Jeffrey Sanger, 39, was preparing for his paramedic training class at the Emergency Medical Service Training Center in Fort Totten, Queens last Friday, when he began to have chest pains and become pale and sweaty. Like many heart attack victims, he protested that he was okay. Then he collapsed in full cardiac arrest.

It turned into a perfect teaching moment. Paramedic instructors immediately gave Sanger cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and then used a defibrillator to shock his heart back to life. His breathing and heartbeat were restored within minutes and he was talking to his rescuers. He was later in stable condition at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.