On December 12, 2021, the Lombard Fire Department received a call regarding a 54-year-old male resident in cardiac arrest. With assistance from the dispatcher, the caller began CPR while crews were dispatched to the home. Firefighters/Paramedics arrived within 2 minutes of receiving the call and took over life-saving efforts.
The patient was given CPR with the Fire Department’s newly acquired AutoPulse® Resuscitation System, an automated and portable CPR device, which provides high-quality, uninterrupted CPR for patients experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. As part of additional life-saving efforts, paramedics administered medications, used an automated external defibrillator (AED) and provided airway management to the patient. The patient regained a heartbeat following two cycles of CPR and defibrillation. As a result of these efforts, the patient was transported to the hospital breathing and with a pulse. A short four days after experiencing cardiac arrest, the patient was discharged from the hospital—just in time for the holidays.
“I am extremely proud of the manner in which all our first responders performed. It was the combined and timely effort taken in those first critical minutes that saved this resident’s life and gave him the opportunity to spend the holidays at home with his family,” said Lombard Fire Chief Rick Sander. “I would also like to thank the Village Manager, Village President and Board of Trustees for supporting our efforts to acquire this state-of-the-art technology that is proving instrumental in saving lives.”
The purchase of this equipment was an employee-driven initiative made possible through a joint purchasing agreement between the Village and the Foreign Fire Insurance Board. It was approved by the Village Board in August 2021 and placed in service in late November 2021, following the delivery of the device and training of all Fire Department paramedics.
“We were confident this device would help us improve the quality of critical care we provide our Lombard residents experiencing cardiac arrest,” commented Lt. Dan Ekhart, EMS Coordinator for the Lombard Fire Department. “But to see the device help us save a life within three weeks of deploying it is truly an incredible and rewarding experience.”