At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 13, 2012, Ermin Hadzic and his brother Ernest had just returned home from a long day at work. Hadzic says he fell asleep while watching television. That’s the last thing he remembers before he was woken abruptly. “Around 11:15 p.m., I heard a crash in the kitchen,” says Hadzic. “I went to the kitchen to find my brother lying in the floor. I knew it was a heart attack.”
Hadzic’s wife also woke up when she heard the crash and as soon as she saw Ernest on the floor, she called 911. The operator remained on the line with her until Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel arrived at the home just minutes later. “They came in, they saw him down and they took over the care from that point,” he says. “They tried to shock him, put a tube in his mouth and started doing CPR.” Hadzic says paramedics spent about five minutes trying to resuscitate Ernest in the kitchen. He was then transferred to the ambulance, where EMS continued to deliver emergency care.
From ambulance to emergency department
“EMS plays a vital role within the community and with us,” says Chris Nichols, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. “It’s a team effort.”
As first responders, EMS can communicate with the emergency department while they are onsite with a patient. “We can hear and see what’s going on by what they tell us,” explains Dr. Nichols. “At the same time, we can formulate a plan.”
For example, paramedics can run an EKG on a heart attack patient en route to the hospital, says George Leach, M.D., an emergency medicine physician. “They can then send the EKG results to us – that’s money,” says Dr. Leach. “We call in the cardiologists and get everything started. Sometimes, everyone is waiting for the patient by the time they get here.”
Dr. Nichols says the best first responders can make quick and confident decisions. “Fortunately, with the EMS that we have in the greater Atlanta area, these guys are awesome,” he says.
Hadzic says it is comforting to know that first responders are prepared to handle emergencies quickly and with confidence. “It is a big relief when you see someone who knows what to do,” he says. “EMS really did an amazing job – they saved my brother’s life.”
For more information, visit Piedmont Emergency Services.
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