Cardiac Arrest, AED’s, and Gratitude

As some of you may have heard, we had an interesting development last month at ISA.  In mid-February, Ian experienced a sudden cardiac arrest during an extensive tennis workout at his local tennis club.  An avid tournament tennis player, ex-Division I athlete, and fitness fanatic, this development was completely unexpected.  

But, Ian’s cardiac emergency turned into a miracle as his wife, tennis club, and tennis pro were all prepared with an AED and training in how to administer it.  After nearly ten minutes of unresponsiveness, Ian was shocked back to life and taken to the hospital.  Successful angioplasty under the care of amazing doctors, Ian has an excellent prognosis and is already back at the helm of ISA, traveling and working with clients only two weeks after the incident.  

Ian’s situation has give us a great deal of gratitude and also demonstrates the power of AED’s and trained staff on how to use them.  A local NBC affiliate in Portland carried the feature story above, and it also got picked up by the national NBC.com site.  We have learned to never judge a book by it’s cover when it comes to issues of the heart.  If you work out often at a health club, be sure to ask if they possess an AED and if the staff is well-prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency.  From what we have learned, it can happen to anyone.