Quick Action, Defibrillator Save Man's Life at Marin Civic Center
Two physicians, a nurse and a federal drug agent reporting for jury duty in the Marin County Hall of Justice this week used their emergency medical training and newly installed, inexpensive AED, or Automated External Defibrillator, to save a man's life, San Rafael fire officials said.
The 66-year-old Novato man, who was also in the jury orientation room, collapsed about 9:45 a.m. Monday. He was immediately cared for by trained medical personnel who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and then used an Automated External Defibrillator to restore his heart beat and respiration.
After one shock from the AED, the man began breathing and responders felt a pulse, officials said. It was the first time an AED had been used to revive someone at the Marin Civic Center, where more than 1,000 employees work and hundreds pass through daily.
San Rafael firefighters/paramedics Steve Takemoto and Rich Nettelman arrived on scene and rushed the man to the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael.
His condition was improving Thursday, San Rafael fire Capt. Paul Crimmins said. County officials declined to identify the man.
"AEDs are really starting to save lives," Crimmins said. "The people who responded noticed he was in cardiac arrest and started CPR immediately. They did a great job. This was as good as it can get. Everyone did what they were supposed to do. This was one of those positive calls."
The man likely suffered sudden cardiac arrest and his heart stopped pumping blood. Unless proper medical
care is administered, death can follow within minutes. Sudden cardiac arrest strikes more than 200,000 Americans a year, nearly one death every 10 minutes.
The county's Emergency Medical Services Department began studying AEDs about four years ago at the insistence of Supervisor Susan Adams, said Marin County fire Battalion Chief Mike Giannini.
County emergency officials calculated the need for AEDs in the Civic Center and other buildings and purchased 26 units, said Randy Saxe, an emergency medical services specialist. Ten have been placed throughout the Civic Center and the rest are at various county buildings. The units cost $1,200 to $1,500. Public works crews installed cabinets where the AEDs are stored.
Giannini said about 75 Civic Center workers have been trained in CPR and AED use.