Posted on 23rd May 2013
When Ryan Kim was found underwater without a pulse and not breathing, he was close to death by drowning. His friend, Dan, rushed to alert the attention of the lifeguards. Soon he was on the back of a Jet Ski and back on dry land, but he still wasn’t out of danger yet.
After 4 sets of CPR the team of experienced lifeguards still couldn’t stabilise the Korean student; he had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Ryan needed a defibrillator to save his life and he needed it quickly – luckily the Lifeguard tower was equipped with the lifesaving equipment. Enlisting the help of a passer-by, the defibrillator was rushed to the victim’s aid and thankfully reached the scene within a few minutes, increasing the student’s chances of survival dramatically.
The AED instructed the lifeguards to place the pads on the victim’s chest so it could analyse his condition. As a pulse wasn’t detected the defibrillator gave calm voice prompts, instructing the lifeguards to stand clear of the patient and administer a shock to the victim’s heart. The device then went on to check for signs of life once more to determine whether a further shock was required. After the shock was administered, despite being clinically dead for 5 minutes, Ryan now had a pulse. His heart had been returned to a normal rhythm thanks to the on-hand defibrillator.
Ryan was still at risk due to the amount of water in his lungs, but he was out of fatal danger and in the care of medical professionals. Thankfully he made a full recovery.
Ryan was a healthy 26-year-old who was an unlucky victim of SCA. This story is proof that this condition really can strike anyone at any time, and a Lifeforce defibrillator on board your vessel could make the difference between life and death.
If a crew member is the unfortunate victim of a SCA on-board your ship he only has minutes to get medical attention. Without a Lifeforce defibrillator on board the victim will be dead within ten minutes; it is unlikely an air ambulance would reach you within this time.
The Lifeforce defibrillator comes with an industry leading 8 year warranty and is simple to use by non-medical personnel, with clear voice prompts instructing the user at each stage of the resuscitation.
Do you have a question surrounding marine industry defibrillators? Please feel free to check out our brochure, or contact our specialist team today?
