Posted on 01/30/2013

ATTITASH, NH – On Sunday, December 30, 2012, Brad Boehringer decided to go skiing at the Attitash Mountain Resort to celebrate the end of a great year. Boehringer is an avid skier and enjoys hitting the slopes when he has time off from his job as a flight nurse. He is also a member of the local rescue squad and as such is always sure to call his friends on the ambulance when he goes out on the slopes in case any extra help is ever needed. Little did he know that his phone would be ringing just seconds later.

After being notified via 911 of a serious emergency on the slopes, a colleague from the ambulance service called Boehringer to alert him of an unconscious man halfway up the ski slope.  Boehringer instinctively volunteered to assist.  A snowmobile arrived at the base area moments later to take him to the scene of the emergency. Before they headed up the mountain, Boehringer knew he may need one piece of lifesaving equipment: a defibrillator. He did not know what had caused the man to become unconscious, but in the event of sudden cardiac arrest, the defibrillator could be the key to saving the man’s life.

When Boehringer got to the scene he found a 54-year-old man unconscious, not breathing and his heart had stopped pumping – the definition of cardiac arrest. In the United States alone, over 350,000 people die every year from sudden cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association. The heart must be defibrillated quickly because a victim’s chance of surviving drops by 7 to 10 percent for every minute a normal heart rate isn’t restored. Luckily for the man, two fellow skiers and members from ski patrol came to his aid and started CPR moments after his collapse.

“Early CPR ensures oxygenated blood is pumped through the body. It’s especially important to keep oxygen going to the critical organs like the brain,” Boehringer noted.

Boehringer and his team quickly attached the defibrillator to the patient and the machine delivered four shocks. Between each shock they made sure to perform high-quality CPR to keep the blood flowing.

“All of a sudden the patient started breathing, moving his arms and we could feel a faint pulse,” said Boehringer after they delivered the third shock with the automated external defibrillator (AED).

The man was transported by ski patrol to the bottom of the hill to a awaiting ambulance where Boehringer, also a paramedic, continued care while en route to the hospital. His condition continued to improve and by the time they reached the local hospital he was nodding his head in response to questions.

Boehringer telephoned the man the a few days later in the hospital to see how he was doing.

The gentleman said, “Ah, my guardian angel. Thank you for everything you did. They tell me I have a few broken ribs but I’m so glad to know I’ll be out of the hospital in a few days.”

-By Matthew Strauss

 

Matt is a volunteer for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. He leads the Metro DC Affiliate.

 

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