Cardiac arrest survivor comes face to face with rescuers at Pueblo AMR event

Cardiac arrest survivor comes face to face with rescuers at Pueblo AMR event

Jay Kent had asymptomatic COVID-19 and walking pneumonia on Aug. 13, 2024. That afternoon, he collapsed, going into cardiac arrest.

"I pretty much expired for about 10 minutes," he said.

The next thing Kent remembered was waking up in a hospital bed several days later. Most of the event was a blur for Kent, but he said his wife was able to call 911.

"(American Medical Response) showed up, they were able to do what they had to do to make sure I stayed here," he said.

Jay Kent recalls his experience surviving a cardiac episode thanks to emergency medical professionals during an above-average cardiac arrest outcomes event hosted by American Medical Response on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

Kent was able to meet his rescuers May 22, as AMR celebrated the successes of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who've saved patients' lives after they went into cardiac arrest.

"Obviously, it means a lot to me to still be here," he said. "They do a job that's very critical to the community, and I'm very grateful for it."

EMT Jordan Sisneros said he's been able to save eight patients in approximately 11 years after they went into cardiac arrest. Kent is the second survivor he's met after such an incident.

"It's refreshing, you don't usually get to see people who survive, so to see him walking around, healthy as can be, it means a lot," Sisneros said.

The most recent data from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) shows 14.4% of Pueblo AMR's cardiac arrest patients successfully recovered to the point of hospital discharge in 2024. While those are still long odds, the rate was a nearly 40% improvement over the national average of 10.5%.

If someone around you appears to be experiencing a cardiac event, Sisneros said the most important thing is to call 911 and immediately start CPR.

"Compressions save lives," he said.

Pueblo American Medical Response Operations Manager Mike Lening announces award winners during an event on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

AMR Operations Manager Michael Lening stated that the May 22 survivor luncheon provided an opportunity for those saved by EMTs to meet their rescuers.

"I think that's important both to the survivors and the responders," he said. "It gives them a chance to validate what they do. It gives them a chance to circle back and see the end result of their hard work."

This year, 103 first responders were awarded for their efforts in saving a life during a cardiac arrest. The year before, 70 awards were handed out, and the year before that, 48.

While part of that is attributable to better data capture, according to Lening, advances in care have also played a role.

"There is constant revision to cardiac care," he said. "The American Heart Association is always updating its care recommendations. Our medical director stays in tune with that and updates our guidelines so we get the best outcomes possible."

For Lening, Pueblo AMR's successes over the past several years show that "what we're doing is working."

"As long as we can stay ahead of that (national hospital discharge for cardiac arrests) average, and continue to push for better outcomes, that's our goal. We want to achieve that, and we want more people to survive cardiac arrests," he said.

Lening also encouraged civilians to get trained in CPR.

"Take a CPR class," he said. "There are various offerings out there, you can take a full, credentialed training from the American Heart Association, where you learn the compressions and the ventilations. There's also compression-only CPR training where all you do is chest compressions ... seek out training and don't be afraid to get involved if you have any training."

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Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Cardiac arrest survivor meets his rescuers at Pueblo AMR event