CPR First Aid | CPR Training is a Routine “Exercise” that Could Save a Life

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CPR First Aid CPR Training is a Routine
Exercise that Could Save a Life
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Todays blog speaks with Brandon Head, owner,
Grapevine CrossFit in Grapevine, Texas regarding
his experience when a cardiac arrest occurred in
his facility. Brandon, thank you so much for
speaking with us. Would you tell us what
happened? It was a routine Friday. My facility is
located close to DFW Airport, so we frequently
see drop-in traffic from airline employees who
dont live in the area but who fly in and out and
need a place to exercise while theyre here. A
pilot had come in that morning wed seen him a
couple of times before during his travels. One of
my coaches, Jordan, was watching him as he worked
through the workout for that day. Everything
seemed normal, and he finished the workout
without issue. But, as he paid Jordan for his
workout, he collapsed suddenly to the floor.
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I heard his fall and turned. I rushed over and it
was immediately apparent that this was not a case
of passing out from over-exertion. He was having
a cardiac arrest. As I ran to get the gyms AED
while calling 9-1-1, I yelled for our staff
physical therapist, Dr. Matt Taylor, to come with
me back to the patient. Matt rolled the victim
onto to his back. He was not breathing and was
without a pulse. After a shock from the AED, Matt
then performed two rounds of chest compressions
and rescue breaths. At that point, the patient
took a gasping breath and woke-up. He even tried
to stand, disoriented and confused. We heard the
sirens just then as the EMS arrived. The total
time was less than five minutes it felt like
forever. After EMS took him away, do you know his
outcome?
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Jordan and I did go to the hospital to visit him.
We learned that he had had a 90 blockage in his
left artery, and the doctors fitted him with two
stents. He was very appreciative for our actions,
and he even came back in to the gym to thank us
after he was released from the hospital. As is
often the case, he doesnt remember anything in
between the time of payment and the EMS standing
over him. Is your team trained in CPR?
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Our gym requires staff CPR training, and the
American Heart Association (AHA) is who we use.
We purchased the AED four years ago as a
precautionary decision, after one of AHAs
trainings. This was the first time that we have
ever deployed itand I can now testify that it is
worth the investment. The quality of the
training the AHA provided my team was very
in-depth. Having never been in that kind of
situation before, I do believe that it made a
difference in our quick response. Because of
what happened, Ive decided to raise awareness
with other businesses in our community about the
importance of training and having an AED on-site.
This kind of incident can happen anywhere, not
just at the gym. If youre a company that cares,
have a process in place so that you know what to
do when needed. Learn more about AEDs at
www.heart.org/AED.
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Learn more about CPR First Aid. Bergenfield, NJ,
Jersey City, NJ, Livingston, NJ, Queens, New
York, Gainesville, FL, Milford, CT and Long
Island, NY. Source https//cprblog.heart.org