The Zoll strikes twice
On Monday 17 December 2007, Trainee Paramedic Selena Baker and myself from Menai
Station were called to attend a doctor’s surgery at Engadine. On arrival,
Intensive Care Paramedic Libby Hanrahan and a Caringbah crew were on-scene.
The patient, Norah Morrison (the doctor’s receptionist), had collapsed behind
her desk while at work. Norah had a history of cardio myopathy and had a
pacemaker. With the help of effective CPR by the doctor and surgery nurse
prior to our arrival, Norah was successfully reverted on-scene. After spending
10 days at Sutherland Hospital, she now has an internal defibrillator.
One week later, on Christmas Day, we had just ‘sparked up’ the BBQ for our Chrissy lunch, when we received a job at Bangor to a cardiac arrest. With a speedy response time of only three minutes, we found Norma Worsley receiving CPR from her daughter.
With the whole family looking on, Norma was shocked three times while in ventricular fibrillation. When Intensive Care Paramedic Libby Hanrahan arrived, the patient was in a sinus bradycardia. She was transported to Sutherland Hospital where she spent four weeks, and had an internal defibrillator fitted.
It was a nice experience to catch up with the ladies during a morning tea at Menai Station. Both are doing very well and enjoying life with their families.
Alison Spring, Paramedic
Menai Station
Photograph: Left to Right: Paramedic Alison Spring, Norah Morrison, Norma Worsley, Intensive Care Paramedic Libby Hanrahan and Trainee Paramedic Selena Baker.
Ambulance is committed to assisting the community create safer and healthier environments and outcomes by making prevention everyone’s businesses. A number of innovative community education programs have been implemented to assist identify life threatening conditions, understand what to do in an emergency and the importance of adopting illness prevention strategies.