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During a recent CPR/AED training class at Crunch Fitness, Area Supervisor, Chad Hogue recounted a recent event where they saved a members life while using an automated external defibrillator (AED). It was six weeks ago when Hogue heard the call for help, “Something is wrong with my Dad”, the man’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body went lifeless.
Hogue and the man’s son rolled him on his back. Gus Calais the Morning Front Desk Associate determined he was unresponsive and started chest compressions while Hogue pulled out his cell phone calling 911 to summon help for the member in cardiac arrest. He grabbed the red AED from the front desk. A cardiac nurse who had just joined the club a month earlier, no more than 10 feet from where the man collapsed, ripped open his shirt and put the AED on his chest. That was when they saw the scar and new he had prior heart surgery.
The AED analyzed the heart rhythm and advised a shock was needed. The nurse cleared everyone, delivered the shock, and the man took a breath and his eyes opened and then he collapsed again.
Crunch has many military, EMT and medical professionals that regularly work out, and Claudia an EMT present started to coordinate the code, counting out 30 compressions and two breaths and having the team rotate compressions according to the new guidelines so they don’t get tired. After a couple of cycles of CPR he began to breathe on his own, started to fight off help and came to. Initially he was slurring his words trying to tell everyone he was fine and just passed out.
They tried to keep him quiet, elevated his feet and waited for the paramedics. Hogue said everything felt like it was in slow motion and it took forever for EMS to arrive. Their local Valrico station was out on another call and it felt like 30 minutes before they got help.
We discussed how the real rescue went compared to how you are trained to do it in classes like the American Heart Association HeartSaver CPR/AED Class that they had just gone through. Hogue felt it was a text book rescue. Everyone knew what to do and kept cool. As it turned out the man was a Pastor at a local church. He also had joined Crunch recently and Hogue had taken his picture that morning for his badge when he checked in. He had a 99% blockage and the hospital put a stent in.
It was quite an emotional moment when the Pastor walked back in two weeks later to thank everyone. Pastor and his son felt he was lucky to have been at Crunch when he had this heart attack, and everyone that was there that day helped save his life.
Jeff Dotson, CFO of five local Crunch Fitness locations was glad his team had been trained in CPR and have the red Philips HeartStart OnSite AEDs at all their locations. They are not required in fitness centers in Florida, but Dotson wants to be state of the art not only with their fitness equipment but also be prepared with AEDs in addition to traditional first aid equipment. The session held this week provided retraining for additional staff and inspection of all the AEDs.
Crunch has locations in Brandon, Tampa Palms, Carrollwood, Bradenton and Sarasota with plans to expand to many other Florida areas. Crunch is proud to server thousands of members in these areas.
Altra Medical loves to recognize heroes like this group for all they do to save lives in the community. “We have seen more successful rescues in fitness centers and gyms than anywhere else of the AEDs we’ve sold”, said Roberts. Time is of the essence in a cardiac arrest. In a gym, it is usually witnessed and an AED is usually deployed in the first critical minutes. If Crunch didn’t have an AED and they had to wait a long time for EMS as in this case, the odds are this man would have never made it. Fortunately, everything was textbook in this case and he is alive today.