Emergency Medicine: CPR and quick action saves woman's life at grocery store

Julie was at the grocery store when she collapsed in the middle of an aisle. She was by herself, and a fellow shopper who saw her go down knew something was seriously wrong.

The other shopper, Lisa, yelled for help and asked someone to call 911. She ran to Julie’s side, rolled her onto her back and gently shook her, asking her if she was OK.

Lisa immediately knew Julie was not OK. She listened to Julie’s mouth and looked at her chest to see if she was breathing; she wasn't. She checked Julie’s neck for a pulse; she didn't have one. Lisa quickly positioned her hands on Julie’s chest and started doing chest compressions.

By this time, the commotion had drawn a crowd. The store manager asked bystanders to step away to give Julie some privacy and made sure that 911 had been called and was on their way. He had retrieved the AED (automated external defibrillator) from the front of the store and got on the ground with Lisa.

The store manager turned on the AED and put the pads on Julie’s chest as the machine directed him. The AED indicated that Julie needed a shock. Lisa ensured no one was in contact with Julie as the manager pushed the shock button, which delivered a shock to her heart through the pads on her chest.

Lisa immediately started CPR after the AED delivered a shock and they continued following the voice prompts from the AED machine. After what felt like an eternity, but what had only been a few minutes, paramedics arrived on the scene and took over Julie’s care. The paramedic in charge got a quick update and administered oxygen to Julie through a mask over her mouth and nose. Another paramedic had Lisa pause CPR and felt for a pulse on Julie’s neck while he readied himself to take over chest compressions. He immediately shouted that Julie had regained a pulse.

Lisa was sitting on the ground just a few feet away from Julie, exhausted and completely in shock. She sat up when she heard the paramedic say that Julie had a pulse and asked if it was true; she was in disbelief. Julie was starting to breath on her own with minimal assistance by one of the paramedics. She was placed on a cardiac monitor, had an IV placed and was quickly loaded onto a medical cot. The paramedics thanked Lisa and the manager for saving Julie’s life, and quickly exited the store to get Julie to the emergency department (ED).

Julie’s clinical status continued to improve on her way to the hospital. The paramedics advised on their radio report that Julie was awake and talking. They continued to monitor and give her oxygen through her nose. I met Julie and the paramedics when she arrived in the ED. I was shocked how good she looked given what had just happened to her.

We quickly transitioned Julie to our cardiac monitor, and her nurse put in another IV and drew blood to send to the lab. I reviewed Julie’s medical records and she looked to be in pretty good health. She told me she had diabetes that was well-controlled on her prescribed medications. She said she remembered being at the grocery store when she felt lightheaded and then next thing she knew, she was in the back of the ambulance.

She said she had had several episodes of feeling lightheaded over the past few months, but the episodes always went away after a few seconds; she had never previously passed out. When we told her what all had happened and that a bystander had saved her life, she was in complete disbelief and started crying. She said she hoped to be able to thank the woman who saved her in the future.

Julie was admitted to the hospital and underwent extensive testing. It was found that she had developed an abnormal heart rhythm that led to her cardiac arrest that day. Shocking her heart with the AED put her back into a normal rhythm and the CPR she received preserved blood flow to her brain and other vital organs, literally saving her life. Julie ended up getting an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a small device the size of a pocket watch that was placed under her skin on her chest wall, with wires placed on the surface of her heart. The ICD monitors Julie’s heart 24 hours a day and will deliver another shock if she develops an abnormal heart rhythm.

A few weeks later, Julie got her wish to meet Lisa and thank her for her selfless act of saving her life that day. Lisa and Julie met at a small ceremony that was held to honor Lisa and the grocery store manager for their efforts. Julie’s husband and kids were there and hugged Lisa for a long time, telling her what a huge impact she had on their family. Lisa had learned CPR at a class through her work. She said she had been taking annual CPR classes for several years and this was the first time she had done CPR on a real person.

Lisa’s quick action in recognizing Julie’s cardiac arrest, calling 911, and starting CPR — along with the store manager quickly retrieving and using the AED — not only saved Julie’s life but gave her the chance for a full recovery.

Lisa credited her CPR instructors for giving her the necessary skills that day and decided to become a CPR instructor herself.

Dr. Erika Kube is an emergency physician who works for Mid-Ohio Emergency Services and OhioHealth.drerikakubemd@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bystander, store manager save woman's life with CPR and by using an AED