Hockey players’ quick actions save man’s life after heart attack
Automated external defibrillator training of vital importance
Don’t call him a hero.
He was just doing what he was taught, and hopes other people will follow suit.
Darryl Lesser was skating with a group of guys in the Play the Puck 55-plus Hockey Association at the Gale Centre on Jan. 13 when he noticed an opposing player had collapsed on the bench.
“I knew right away it was something bad,” he recalled. Lesser jumped over the boards and immediately began CPR on the 66-year-old player. “He had taken his last breath.” Another player, Gary Hardwick,
grabbed an automated external defibrillator (AED) from inside the rink and brought the device to the bench.
All members of the hockey association are offered AED training. Hardwick, one of many who have completed the training, quickly prepared the device.
A shock was delivered and Lesser continued with CPR. Soon, he detected a faint pulse.
The AED is designed to send a 911 call to emergency services as soon as it is removed from its casing. An ambulance arrived quickly and the man was rushed to hospital.
The man is now recovering at home.
Winston Auld, president of the hockey association, said all players are encouraged to take a CPR and AED training course through Heart Niagara.
“So, every session, we have people on the ice who know how to use the defib and do CPR.” There are about 120 members in the league, aged 55 to well into their 80s.
“It’s a fun league,” Auld said. “It’s all about the love of the game, and to exercise.”
Lesser said he would love to see AEDs in all public places.
“Back in my day, we didn’t have these machines.
“There is zero doubt in my mind that the machine and CPR got this man back to his family.”
He encouraged people to take a first-aid course and learn how to perform CPR, and use an AED.
“It’s so simple … and it saves lives,” he said of the training.
Sudden cardiac arrest remains one of the leading causes of death among adults annually in North America.
According to Heart Niagara, each minute that passes without defibrillation reduces a victim’s chance of survival by 10 per cent — making early and easy access to a defibrillator essential.
“This week was a clear example of how important annual CPR and AED training is,” said Karen Stearne, executive director at Heart Niagara.
“Under the leadership of the hockey clubs in Niagara Falls, Heart Niagara has trained and recertified players, coaches and arena staff on responding with an action plan to give a victim the best chance of survival in an emergency situation.”
In 2000, Heart Niagara helped to establish the Public Access Defibrillation program for the region, in conjunction with Niagara Emergency Medical Services. Since the program began, Heart Niagara has helped to place about 800 AEDs in buildings and public locations across the region.
There are seven AEDs at Gale Centre and two at Chippawa Willoughby Memorial Arena.
“It’s always better to receive training, but they are pretty self-explanatory,” said Rob McDonald, the city’s manager of recreation and customer service. “They’re pretty simple to use and people shouldn’t be afraid to use them.”