A more than hectic back to school. A 13-year-old student of the college of Tocane-Saint-after in Dordogne began her first sports class this Wednesday, September 3, when she was suddenly victim of a cardiac arrest in the middle of the courtyard.
A sudden fall in the college courtyard
It is a little more afternoon when the middle school shifts suddenly in the playground during the time devoted to sport. In front of her comrades, she first loses consciousness, then her heart ceases to beat. A dramatic situation which quickly creates panic in the entourage.
It was without counting on the EPS professor who was able to show remarkable composure.
Without hesitation, the teacher then rushed to the girl, started a cardiac massage, then used the college defibrillator. First aid gestures that made it possible to keep the student alive until the firefighters arrived. They then continue resuscitation with a second device.
“”She assured!“”
Once stabilized, the college student was helicoptered to the Bordeaux University Hospital where her condition is now deemed reassuring. However, a psychological cell was opened for his comrades and the educational team, still in shock.
The gesture of this professor, whose name is not given today, will however remain in the spirits of many college students and families
“We may know and do the training in theory, you have to keep your bloody to make the right gestures. Do not forget anything and do it as it takes to keep someone alive, it’s another pair of sleeves (…) Brand and a big thank you. It would have been a more than tragic event to lose someone in these conditions, at that age. She assured” moved Pierre Janaillac, the mayor of the town in the media
How to react to cardiac arrest in children?
Knowing the gestures that save, whatever the public, remains important. Recall that if cardiac arrest is exceptional among the youngest, it remains particularly serious when no resuscitation is not engaged quickly. “We survive in 5 to 10 % of cases”alert Guy Vaskmann, cardio-pediatric at the Louvière hospital (Lille) in The Parisian.
In these situations, each second account often recalls Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of True Medical. “”You must not lose a minute to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The role of witnesses is therefore essential to recognize cardiac arrest, call help and practice heart massage “he insists. The doctor also recalls that hesitation can simply decrease the chances of survival. “”We can guide remotely, by phone, giving the instructions to massage while help arrive. People are often afraid of doing wrong (break ribs, etc.), yet you have to act, you can save a life! “.
To learn to react effectively, first aid training is accessible to the general public, especially via the Red Cross. Some are specially adapted to first aid gestures for children and infants. Gestures that can save a life, whether at home, in a public place or even a school.