On Monday morning, a man in his early 30s collapsed from an overdose in his home on Ayala Street in Jerusalem. Worried family members called medical services for help.
Shimon Uzan, a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT, was on his way to work in the defense ministry when he was alerted about the emergency. Shimon was already on his ambucycle and drove off to the emergency. When he arrived only a moment later, another volunteer was already at the scene and the two worked together. After quickly checking for vital signs and finding none, Shimon initiated chest compressions while the other EMT attached her bag valve mask to the patient’s mouth, pressing on the bag valve mask at regular intervals to provide ventilation in full CPR protocol.
A few minutes after the volunteers had arrived, a mobile intensive care ambulance joined the efforts to save the man’s life. The paramedic on board opened an IV line and provided the patient with an anti-overdose drug. Shimon continued providing chest compressions trying to revive the patient. As the rescue efforts kicked in, the patient began to spasm. The combined EMS team continued CPR efforts until the patient’s pulse came back. After his condition had stabilized, he was moved to a stretcher bed and transported to the nearest hospital for further care.
After the incident, Shlomo said: “I became an EMT because my brother-in-law back in France had passed away from cardiac arrest. When I made Aliyah, I decided to learn what to do in emergencies so others won’t have to lose their loved ones the way I did. Thankfully, the CPR today ended successfully. We worked hard trying to revive the patient, and after 30 minutes he regained his pulse. As an EMT I don’t bring my personal feelings to emergency scenes, I stay calm and collected even when it seems hopeless, and in some cases the patients survive just because I was persistent. Today wasn’t the first time I saved a person’s life, but each life I save is in honor of my brother-in-law. I’m happy I did him proud today.”
