Be’er Sheva Man Resuscitated After Wife Finds Him Unconscious At Home
On Wednesday afternoon in Be’er Sheva, a woman found her 79-year-old husband lying unconscious in his bed. He had seemingly suffered a heart attack just a moment prior and was unresponsive. His panicked wife immediately called emergency services for help. The dispatcher stayed on the line with her and led the woman through guided CPR while the closest first responders were dispatched and headed on their way.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Ariel Pahima was located as one of the closest volunteers to the incident. He was driving through the streets of Be’er Sheva on his way home from a long day at work. As soon as he received the alert to the nearby emergency, he turned on the ambucycle’s lights and sirens, accelerated his speed, and radioed dispatch that he was on his way.
Ariel arrived by the unconscious man’s bedside less than three minutes after the call went out. The EMT opened his medical kit and took out and attached the defibrillator that he carries with him. Once the defibrillator was connected and ready, Ariel took over the performing of chest compressions from the anxious woman. The defibrillator advised a shock and then another, one after the other. Ariel paused the CPR each time and waited for the electric current to dissipate before continuing.
After around 7 exhausting minutes of performing CPR alone, Ariel was joined by an intensive care ambulance team who joined the effort to save the man’s life. They continued with advanced treatment including administering medications and fluids.
“It was a long and difficult resuscitation but thank G-d, at the end of the 50 minutes of efforts, the man’s pulse returned and he even began to breathe on his own,” said Ariel. “He was still unconscious when he was transferred into the ambulance and driven to the hospital, but I hope and pray that he will make a full recovery. It gave me a good feeling to be able to help this man and his distraught wife in their time of need. I am thankful that I went as I was able to provide medical intervention quickly as it took time for the ambulance to arrive.”
