Elderly Woman Saved With CPR

The is reporting another CPR save this year, this one occurring in the early morning hours of Sunday.

According to the squad, a 72-year-old township resident was complaining of difficulty breathing at around 3 a.m. and had a family member immediately call 911.  Soon after, the resident stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.

East Brunswick Police Department dispatchers with the help of dispatchers from Med Central (Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital) were able to successfully give the family member instructions on CPR over the phone, which they did, until first responders arrived.

Minutes later, East Brunswick Patrol Officers Brian Adams and John Sisolak arrived and continued CPR. Shortly after, Paramedics Chris Terranova and Brian Lowndes from RWJUH arrived along with EMT Steven Bellows, Cadet Janvi Sharma and Assistant Captain John Hosie of the East Brunswick Rescue Squad.

The first responding police officers attached the AED, which detected that the patient would not be helped by shocks. Paramedics Terranova and Lowndes immediately started intubation and an IV line while EBPD and Rescue Squad members continued compressions and managing the patient’s breathing with a bag-valve-mask. Multiple doses of epinephrine were administered which resulted in the patient getting a pulse.

 “Getting CPR started immediately is so critical to anyone’s survival who is in cardiac arrest,” said Hosie. “Successful cardiac arrest resuscitations are a result of a huge team effort.

“From bystanders/family members to dispatchers to police officers to rescue squad EMTs to paramedics, this save happened because everyone involved did what they needed to do. A key factor to this resident’s survival was that a family member was willing to do CPR when instructed to over the phone.”

. In 2011 the squad responded to 12 cardiac arrests and had one CPR save. The squad answered 1938 calls last year.

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The East Brunswick Rescue Squad is incorporated as a non-profit, volunteer-run organization funded by charitable contributions. Its national- and state-certified EMTs provide pre-hospital trauma and medical life support to East Brunswick. Marking its 60th anniversary this year, the squad’s 90-plus riding members contributed 15,716 hours of volunteer time in 2011. EBRS’ coverage area includes the township’s 23.5 square miles and the N.J. Turnpike. The East Brunswick Rescue Squad maintains a website at www.ebrs.org.         

Donations can be made directly at this site or 346 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick, N.J., 08816, Attn: Donations.