United Hatzalah emergency medical personnel in Mevaseret Zion were dispatched to a medical emergency on Monday evening in the Maoz Zion neighborhood. The alert went out after a report reached the organization’s dispatch center about a man who suffocated while eating and lost consciousness.
Several emergency medical service personnel rushed to the scene and initiated treatment which included CPR and eventually resulted in the man’s life being saved.
The first responders to arrive on the scene found that the man had no pulse and was not breathing. They immediately initiated CPR, attaching a defibrillator and alternating between compressions and providing assisted breathing.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Idan Yaakov, who was one of the first responders at the scene, reported: “When I received the emergency alert, I was at my parents’ house. They live on the same street where the emergency took place. I quickly rushed out the door and drove to the scene arriving about a minute after receiving the alert. When I arrived, I was told by passersby that the man had choked and suffocated while eating. I recognized that the victim was unconscious with no pulse and was not breathing. I quickly initiated CPR and alerted dispatch to what was happening. I asked them to send a backup.
“A few moments later, additional volunteers arrived and we worked together, performing CPR until the ambulance team arrived. Shortly after their arrival, we managed to bring back the man’s pulse. He was then stabilized on location before benign transported to the hospital.”
Idan added, “I am thankful that I happened to be nearby when the emergency occurred. The fact that CPR was started as quickly as it was played a big part in this man’s regaining his pulse. I hope he will make a full recovery.”
