Quick-thinking teachers revive girl, 12, after collapse

By Michael Inbar

TODAY.com contributor

updated 10/10/2011 9:53:01 AM ET

A Dallas-area seventh-grader survived a literally heart-stopping crisis virtually unscathed thanks to two quick-thinking, well-trained schoolteachers.

Kristen Goodgion and Brent Reese, teachers at Maus Middle School in Frisco, Texas, rushed within seconds to the aid of 12-year-old Kylee Shea after she crumpled in a school hallway Sept. 26. While Reese performed CPR, Goodgion fetched the school’s automatic external defibrillator (AED). They used the machine’s paddles to kick-start Kylee’s heart in a dramatic rescue caught on the school’s surveillance cameras.

Doctors estimate that without the rapid response of Goodgion and Reese and the use of the AED, Kylee would have had just a 3 percent chance of surviving her episode of heart arrhythmia, and only a 1 percent chance of surviving without brain damage.

Story: Meet ‘Lazarus tot’ whose heart stopped for 1 hour

Goodgion and Reese are now being hailed as heroes. Appearing on TODAY with Kylee and her family Monday, Goodgion told Matt Lauer she knows firsthand the benefits of the school having its teachers trained in CPR and use of the AED.

“(It’s) extremely important,” she said. “We get trained every two years, and that literally is what we fell back on. It kept us calm; we had something to (fall) back on, to know what to do.”

‘It told us to shock’

Kylee had no prior history of heart trouble, but was walking to class when she felt short of breath. “I sat down, then I fell over, and I don’t remember anything after that,” she told NBC’s Lilia Luciano.

Goodgion, nearby, was alerted by alarmed students. Within seconds, Kylee began convulsing and turning blue. “Right away, I knew I had to go get help,” Goodgion told NBC News.

Reese arrived on the scene just moments later. He told Lauer while Kylee’s heart had stopped, his was racing.

“When I saw Kylee on the floor, just a million things are going through (my) head,” he said. “You just kind of go into shell shock, and you kind of just reboot and we went back to the training.”

Surveillance video shows teacher Brent Reese
working to revive 12-year-old Kylee Shea,
collapsed on the the floor. Kristen Goodgion
stands at right.

As the video vividly shows, Goodgion arrived at Kylee’s side with the AED. While the teachers were trained in its use, actually deploying the paddles on a living subject was a new experience. They hooked the AED up to Kylee and it began reading her vital signs.

“It told us to shock, and we both looked at each other in shock, like, ‘This is really what we need to do right now?’ ” Goodgion recalled.

Reese was only too aware that if Kylee’s heart was actually still beating, the shock paddles could do just the opposite of their intent — kill her.

“In the video, I reach out to touch the (shock) button, and I pull back just a little bit, thinking those exact thoughts,” he told Lauer.

Nontheless, the pair shocked Kylee’s heart. After a second attempt, the procedure appeared to work, with the AED reading “no shock required.”

“She started groaning and we’re still thinking, ‘Did we do this right?’ ” Goodgion said. “(But) it worked.”

A 12-year-old with a pacemaker

Emergency personnel arrived and Kylee was airlifted to a local hospital. Doctors determined the 12-year-old had an undetected heart condition, and she was implanted with a pacemaker. She showed Lauer the scar from the procedure on TODAY.

Doctors told the family that if Goodgion and Reese hadn’t been trained and reacted as quickly as they did, Kylee would likely have been lost. And it was no less fortunate that the the state of Texas mandates that AEDs be placed in all state schools.

Grateful mom Sheryl Shea told Lauer she believes that rule should be universal.

“I think it should be a nationwide mandate,” she said. “I think every state should be required to have these in schools and public places.”

Video: Student’s heart stops; teachers save her

Goodgion and Reese say they now feel a special bond with Kylee — Reese jokes that Kylee, as she grows older, won’t be allowed to date without his permission.

Lauer suggested that every school should be required to have Reese and Goodgion as well an AED.

Kylee’s dad, Mike Shea, reached across to pat the hands of his daughter’s saviors. “They’re stuck with us, (but) thank you!”

© 2011 MSNBC Interactive.

J-D Lacrosse Player Revived After Being Struck by Ball at Tryout

June 16, 2011 By Donnie Webb / The Post-Standard

A Jamesville-DeWitt High School lacrosse player was revived with CPR and a defibrillator after he was struck in the chest by a shot from another player on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at Fayetteville-Manlius High School during tryouts for a Section III team that will participate in a July event called the Upstate Risings.

Sophomore Dan Cochran, a member of the J-D junior varsity this past season, was in stable condition Wednesday night at University Hospital, according to a nursing supervisor.

Red Rams head coach Jamie Archer, whose team just won the Class B state lacrosse championship, said Cochran was joking around "like it never happened" when he called the hospital to check on his player.

"A big sigh of relief," Archer said. "He'll probably never know how close it came to a different outcome."

Rome Free Academy lacrosse coaches Guy Calandra and Jeremy Roberts were running the tryouts for about 50 10th-graders, including Cochran, when the incident happened at about 6:30 p.m. Calandra said he was about five feet away when he saw Cochran take the blow from the shot.

Cochran turned his body in anticipation of the contact. The lacrosse ball struck him in the rib cage underneath his chest protector. Calandra said Cochran fell face forward to the ground.

"When I got to look at him, I could just tell," Calandra said. "I said to him, ‘Hey, are you OK? Look at me. What's your name?' He couldn't respond. I yelled for 911 and Jeremy."

Cochran's breathing was labored. Roberts was at the opposite end of the field working with other players. The second time Calandra called his name, Roberts said he knew there was a crisis. He sprinted to the other end of the field to begin CPR on Cochran.

Roberts, 36, has worked as a lifeguard since he was 16 and been a certified trainer for the last five years. Calandra is trained in CPR as well. Calandra began a series of 30 compression pumps on Cochran's chest. Roberts performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The mother of another player trying out for the 11th-grade team approached the scene. She said she was a registered nurse and asked Calandra if he needed her to take over. She did and performed a series of compression pumps.

Fayetteville-Manlius High School certified trainer Cyndi Kelder rushed to the scene with a defibrillator. Even though this was not a school event, she had been hired to work the tryouts by Tom Hall, the longtime F-M lacrosse patriarch and the founder of the Upstate Risings event.

Kelder said Cochran had no pulse when she hooked him up to the defibrillator. The machine told her what to do next — apply the pads and shock the player. She did. The blast got Cochran's heart pumping in rhythm again.

"I've been doing this awhile now," said Kelder. "I've never had to open up (the defibrillator) other than checking it and for maintenance. It was one of those moments."

Sirens from local ambulances and fire trucks wailed in the distance. Multiple rescue trucks pulled onto the field. Roberts kept yelling encouragement to Cochran.

"Hang in there, buddy," he said. "Hang in there."

Cochran was beginning to respond. Calandra asked him how he felt. He told the coach his arm was sore. It was a sweet response.

The magnitude of their efforts hit hard later in the night. Calandra said he could barely talk, much less feel. Roberts said he hugged his wife, Becky, and broke into tears. The nurse who assisted on the field broke into tears when she saw her son after tryouts. She said it all hit home. That could have been her son, she said.

F-M boys lacrosse coach Chris Kenneally said he was witness to a tragedy at Hobart some 30 years ago when a player died on the field after being struck in the chest by a shot. He vowed that would never happen again and said the school is vigilant and ready with its supply of defibrillators and trainers.

Hall said had this happened at the Empire State Games, there would have been no trainers or defibrillators because of cost cuts.

"We prepare for this type of thing," Hall said. "I was so impressed with the (RFA) staff and (F-M) trainer. I've seen some serious situations over the years. This has to be at the top of the list."

"Even though we're all trained, it was nice to have more hands," Calandra said. "It went well. It could have been horrible.

"I hope I don't ever have to do it again, I'll tell you that."

© 2011 syracuse.com. All rights reserved.

Coaches' Quick Action Saves Student

May 5, 2011 by JOIE TYRRELL / joie.tyrrell@newsday.com

Comsewogue High School coaches Rick Miekley and Justin Seifert had to act fast. One minute, 17-year-old Hope Reindl, a member of the school's softball team, was shooting hoops in an after-school intramural basketball game. The two coaches were supervising.

Moments later she was struggling to breathe after collapsing to the floor Wednesday afternoon in the school gym.

Miekley immediately came to her aid and Seifert had a student race to bring over a portable defibrillator. Together, they helped revive Hope and maybe even saved her life.

"I realized she was breathing, but labored," Miekley said. Soon she stopped breathing so he started CPR. The two coaches then attached the defibrillator to Hope and waited for it to give her a jolt.

"We were able to get her shocked, and get her heart shocked within about a minute," said Miekley, who also teaches health and physical education.

Meanwhile, Reindl's mother, Candace, having been alerted by another student, arrived within minutes at the school to help, said Carl Reindl, Hope's father.

Carl Reindl, of Port Jefferson Station, said his daughter was doing well Thursday night. She was speaking and eating, he said.

Apparently, doctors told the family Hope had suffered an arrhythmia though she had never had any symptoms of a problem. She is expected to have a defibrillator implanted Fridayand was listed in good condition Thursday night at Stony Brook University Medical Center.

"It's something else, they are pretty miraculous," Carl Reindl said of the two coaches. "They pretty much saved my daughter's life, along with my wife."

Both coaches are certified in CPR and defibrillator use and are recertified every year. Miekley also is a former athletic trainer for Stony Brook University and a former CPR instructor.

"They never hesitated," said high school Principal Joseph Coniglione of the two coaches. "It is always about the kids for them and when they saw that, it was as if it was one of their own."

Dennis Whittam, public information officer with the Terryville Fire Department, which is based out of Port Jefferson Station, confirmed that emergency medical technicians were on the scene at about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday.

"The AED [defibrillator] the schools have was utilized to revive the student," Whittam said. "When Terryville fire department EMTs got there on scene . . . they had shocked the patient with the AED and then Terryville took over CPR and did all the normal protocols that they follow and the patient was revived."

Senate Passes Legislation to Allow Off-Duty EMTs to Carry AEDs

GateHouse News Service
Posted Feb 15, 2011 @ 10:00 AM

Albany, N.Y. — The state Senate Monday passed potentially lifesaving legislation that would allow emergency medical technicians to carry an automated external defibrillator in their personal vehicles.

"Clearing the way for trained first responders to carry AEDs at all times could be the difference between life and death for a heart attack patient," said state Senator James Seward, R,C,I - Oneonta, chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee. "By cutting away bureaucratic red-tape and ensuring trained emergency professionals have the tools they need, lives can be saved."

Current law does not permit EMTs to possess and use AEDs while they are off-duty, unless they are specifically licensed as a public access defibrillator provider.

"Particularly in rural parts of New York, EMTs are often first on the scene of an emergency — even when they are off-duty, and in the case of a cardiac emergency, every second counts," said Seward.

"This measure is just common sense. If more trained life-savers have defibrillators on-hand, more lives can be saved," said Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. "In fact if just one person is saved, this bill would be worthwhile.

The issue was first brought to Seward's attention by the Cincinnatus Emergency Squad when he was serving as chairman of the Senate Task Force on Volunteer Emergency Services.

"The Cincinnatus first responders were carrying defibrillators as a way to provide quick emergency care when they responded directly to a scene," said Seward. "In spite of the obvious benefits of having off-duty EMTs possess defibrillators, the Department of Health told the EMS squad it wasn't legally permissible under current regulations."

Seward said EMTs are trained to use AEDs and that having them in more places is only a plus for saving lives in emergency situations.

The legislation passed the Senate unanimously each year between 2005 and 2008.

The bill has been sent to the Assembly.

Senate Passes Legislation to Allow Off-Duty EMTs to Carry AEDs

Albany, N.Y. — The state Senate Monday passed potentially lifesaving legislation that would allow emergency medical technicians to carry an automated external defibrillator in their personal vehicles.

“Clearing the way for trained first responders to carry AEDs at all times could be the difference between life and death for a heart attack patient,” said state Senator James Seward, R,C,I - Oneonta, chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee. “By cutting away bureaucratic red-tape and ensuring trained emergency professionals have the tools they need, lives can be saved.”

Current law does not permit EMTs to possess and use AEDs while they are off-duty, unless they are specifically licensed as a public access defibrillator provider.

“Particularly in rural parts of New York, EMTs are often first on the scene of an emergency — even when they are off-duty, and in the case of a cardiac emergency, every second counts,” said Seward.

“This measure is just common sense. If more trained life-savers have defibrillators on-hand, more lives can be saved,” said Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. “In fact if just one person is saved, this bill would be worthwhile.

The issue was first brought to Seward’s attention by the Cincinnatus Emergency Squad when he was serving as chairman of the Senate Task Force on Volunteer Emergency Services.

“The Cincinnatus first responders were carrying defibrillators as a way to provide quick emergency care when they responded directly to a scene,” said Seward. “In spite of the obvious benefits of having off-duty EMTs possess defibrillators, the Department of Health told the EMS squad it wasn’t legally permissible under current regulations.”

Seward said EMTs are trained to use AEDs and that having them in more places is only a plus for saving lives in emergency situations.

The legislation passed the Senate unanimously each year between 2005 and 2008.

The bill has been sent to the Assembly.

Grid-Goers Hear Heart Attack Rescue Over PA

By MARC RAIMONDI and GEORGETT ROBERTS

Talk about a Hail Mary!

A veteran Brooklyn high school athletic director suffered a near-deadly heart attack while announcing a football game yesterday but was brought back to life by the team doctor as stunned spectators listened to the dramatic rescue over the PA system.

"Clear!" Dr. Ed Golembe shouted as he applied the pads of a defibrillator on Marshall Tames, the athletic director at Erasmus Hall HS, around 1 p.m. at Midwood High's field.

The rescue was inadvertently broadcast over the PA system at the 2,000-seat stadium where Erasmus was in a playoff game with the Bronx's Dewitt Clinton HS.

"As I was calling a play, I turned around and heard all this happen," said Erasmus coach Danny Landberg. "I got flustered."

Golembe, who is the medical director of the hyperbaric and wound healing center at Brookdale as well as the Erasmus team physician said Tames had no heartbeat and stopped breathing when he was shocked back to life.

Thames quickly revived and was rushed to Maimonides Hospital.

"They told me its a miracle," Tames told The Post at the hospital. "It jolted me back."

Defibrillators at every athletic event have been a PSAL requirement for at least five years and Golembe said the rule saved Tames life.

"I suspect he would not have made it without the electric shock device," he said.

Chris Miccio, who was keeping time for the game and first began CPR when Tames collapsed, said officials and spectators were relieved when Thames responded so quickly.

"Somebody asked you what you did today. 'Oh, I worked a scoreboard at a football game and saved somebody's life,' " Miccio said.

Miccio said he was a student athlete at Midwood HS during Tames 18-year run as coach there.

"We were trying to keep him responsive after they brought him back [with the defibrillator]," he said. "He always used to bust our chops about owing him money for candy and stuff like that when we did fundraising. I said to him, 'Do I still owe you that 11 bucks from my junior year of high school?' And he said, 'Yah, you still owe it to me.' "

Thames retired from Midwood in 2001 and has been athletic director at Erasmus for the past six years.

"He makes this his life," Landberg said. "He's been around PSAL football since the 50s."

At Maimonides, Tames said he barely remembers what happened, but recalled that hed been feeling pain in his back for two days and dismissed it as muscle strain.

Just before the game, Tames said he thought he had indigestion and laid down for a nap before coming to the game.

"It started hurting a little bit in my chest," he said. "Right before the half, I don't know what happened; someone said I keeled over. They put me on the floor, and the doctor from the field came up with a defibrillator and they used it on me."

Thames said he expected to be at the hospital for a couple of days, but then that he wanted to get back to work.

"I don't want Last Rites!" he said. "I want to go back to the office."

"But I'm more upset that we lost the playoff than I am about the heart attack."

Erasmus lost its playoff to Dewitt, 20-16.

Copyright © 2010 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Free AED/CPR Heartsaver Training

In recognition of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Day, on May 31, 2010, and National CPR and AED Awareness Week, June 1-7 2010, The Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation, in partnership with St. Francis Hospital, Winthrop University Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital and Mercy Medical Center, will be offering rree American Heart Association Heartsaver AED/CPR certification classes. » Registration Info