I now value each day as a bonus says Sunderland grandfather as he thanks ambulance crew that saved his life

“I now value each day as a bonus that I wouldn't have had if it wasn't for the crew” - the words of Sunderland man George Newman after being reunited with the North East Ambulance Service crew who saved his life after he suffered a cardiac arrest.

George, 73, began to feel ill with chest and arm pains on Saturday November 2, after enjoying an evening firework display with his family.

His wife, Brenda, became concerned and called 999 to get support from North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).

On arrival of the ambulance, George deteriorated and went into cardiac arrest.

The crew arriving on scene informed dispatch that George was experiencing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and they dispatched additional resources including a specialist paramedic and an additional crew to support.

On arrival, paramedic Stuart Tait and his crewmate Ian Cawood, began chest compressions and applied the defibrillator. Once his heartbeat was in a shockable rhythm, they administered five shocks.

Stuart recalls the incident, “I remember Ian and I being tasked to a category two incident for George - he was suffering chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath and nausea. As we made our way to his home, the job was upgraded as his symptoms worsened.

“We arrived just in time.

“On arrival, we could see that George was experiencing a cardiac arrest. George’s wife was there with him – she was relatively calm, though shocked. Their grandson was also downstairs. We reassured George’s wife, explaining each step when we could.

“After shocking George, we were pleased when he had a successful return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), regaining a pulse.”

George regained consciousness thanks to the efforts of his family, the call handling team, and ambulance crew.

The crew conveyed George to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, where he had an emergency stent fitted and was passed to the coronary care unit. He stayed in hospital for one week.

This week, George was eventually reunited with the NEAS team which saved his life.

He said: “Since the incident, I now value each day as a bonus that I wouldn't have had if it wasn't for the crew.

“It has made me want to do as much as I can with the bonus time I have been given.

“I wanted to meet the crew because I think they deserve medals and I wanted to take the time to say thank you to them, from not only myself but my family too.”

After his initial week spent at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle George was refered to South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust's Cardiac Rehabilitation Team. The team works with a patient to help them continue their recovery with exercise and offer information, education and support to live well.

They also help family members learn how to do CPR.

Dr Mickey Jachuck is Clinical Director of Cardiothoracic care at the Trust.

He said: "What happened to George shows the importance of knowing CPR skills, as well as the vital care our NHS services offer.

"Our cardiac rehabilitation team do a fantastic job of helping people following heart attacks and heart failure as they rebuild their strength. We know Dr Norton has also been supporting him through his recovery.

"We wish him well and we know through his story and his family's experiences, others will know how important it is to act when someone has a cardiac arrest.”

When a cardiac arrest strikes, chest compressions provided during CPR pump blood around the body to keep someone alive until the ambulance crew arrives. Without immediate treatment with CPR and a defibrillator, if there is one nearby, the person’s chance of survival reduces every minute.

The Trust’s consultant community cardiologist, Dr Michael Norton said: “In my 35 years of being involved in managing cardiac arrests, it has become clear that the people who have the biggest impact in cardiac arrest are those who are first on-scene -especially if they witness the cardiac arrest.

“In this case, Mrs. Newman and other members of Mr. Newman’s family were amazing. They acted quickly and they acted decisively. By rapidly starting CPR, they gave our NEAS colleagues the very best chance of restarting Mr. Newman’s heart.

“To me, Mrs. Newman and her grandsons are heroes. Swiftly following, the NEAS team involved made a very significant and positive impact on in Mr. Newman’s outcome.”

Dr Norton stressed the importance of people knowing the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest and the importance of knowing how to administer CPR and being trained to use a defibrillator.