Cardiac arrest patient case study - Lee
Verralls
Lee
Verralls, 24, from Wells House Road, was at home jamming with
friends last July when he suffered a cardiac
arrest.
Lee’s girlfriend Kym Burgess, 22, said:
“Everything was normal when Lee just fell of his chair and stopped
breathing. It was very frightening and we didn’t know what had
happened. Our friend Jimmy called 999 for an ambulance.”
Emergency Medical Dispatcher Juliet George
answered the call. She said: “Once I identified that Lee was
suffering a cardiac arrest I gave instructions to his friend over
the phone to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If
someone’s heart stops beating calling 999 for an ambulance and
starting CPR as soon as possible gives them the best chance of
survival.”
Within a few minutes of the 999 call Fulham
Emergency Medical Technician Daniel Crichton and Brent ambulance
crew Emergency Medical Technician Emily Grist and Paramedic Dennis
Brown were on the scene.
Emily said: “We arrived to find Lee in cardiac
arrest and his friend giving CPR to good effect. We immediately
attached a defibrillator to his heart and shocked it twice. Lee’s
heartbeat returned.
“Like CPR, getting a defibrillator to someone
suffering cardiac arrest as soon as possible gives them the best
chance of survival.”
Emily and Dennis took Lee to Hammersmith
Hospital. He was later transferred to St Mary’s Paddington where he
had an internal cardioverter defibrillator fitted and was
discharged after a month.
Lee, who had no previous history of heart
problems, said: “I’ve got no recollection of anything, just waking
up in hospital a week later. It’s great to meet the ambulance staff
again and I am eternally grateful to them and to Jimmy for their
amazing work. Now my life’s back to normal and I’m back playing
live with my band Headspace.”
Kym said: “The ambulance staff did such an
amazing job saving Lee’s life, as he would 100 per cent not be here
if it wasn’t for them.”