Kendall Regional Medical Center hosted a “CPR Recognition Event” on Mar. 3 with a former patient, Susana Sanchez, present to honor county personnel using CPR emergency techniques reported to have saved her life a month earlier.
On Feb. 6, a 9-1-1 dispatcher talked Sanchez’s 20-year-old son, David, through CPR until Miami-Dade Police arrived on the scene. Within one minute of their arrival, the mother of three was revived and rushed to Kendall Regional Medical Center (KRMC) where she recovered from a cardiac arrest.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Fernando Castano later said the case was a miracle, noting that when he arrived on scene, one minute after the police, Susana Sanchez, 44, appeared clinically dead.
Special guests from the American Heart Association along with Miami-Dade.
Police officers were present at the KRMC event organized to highlight the Sanchez case and the importance of CPR techniques in an emergency.
“CPR and hands-only chest compressions alone are valuable tools that can be used to save someone’s life,” said Agatha Samuel, Kendall Regional chief nursing officer. “Sanchez’s case was a prime example of the importance of CPR efforts during the precious minutes after a person collapses.”
During the event, Sanchez personally honored those who saved her life, including Miami-Dade Police Officers Michael Mallon and Rolando Collada, Police 9-1-1 dispatcher Rose Eugene, EMS responders Kevin Adams and Mario Blanco and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials.
Special guests included Dr. James Jude, co-developer of CPR, and Ann Mroz, AHA regional director, in support of CPR education. Attendees had an opportunity to try out the AHA’s new Hands-Only CPR method for adults after observing a demonstration by Dr. Jude.
“It is very inspirational to hear a patient’s story, such as this one, where CPR played such an important role in the chain of survival,” Dr. Jude said.
Chest compressions alone (Hands-Only CPR) can save lives when used effectively, according to AHA guidelines, and is especially useful in an emergency for those untrained in conventional CPR or unsure on an ability to initiate a combination of compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Dr. Jude said.
Chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest decreases 7 to 10 percent per minute without immediate, effective CPR, he added.
