Guelph’s Mark Johnson’s Life Saved by CPR

CPR saves lives, but when combined with a defibrillator, the survival rate is much greater.

This was demonstrated earlier this year when 54-year-old Mark Johnson collapsed while playing a game of basketball with his friends.

Mark’s friends immediately started CPR with breaths and chest compressions. When the paramedics arrived, they gave Mark two electric shocks with a defibrillator and revived him.

In CPR, the breaths deliver oxygen while the chest compressions manually pump the heart to circulate the oxygenated blood throughout the body. The electric shock of the defibrillator resets the heart-rhythm so that it can start beating regularly on its own. All three, when performed together, increase the chance of survival.

Mark was brought by ambulance to Guelph General Hospital where he remembers waking up the next day in the Bob Ireland Family Intensive Care Unit. He spent two days there before being transferred to St. Mary’s where he underwent cardiovascular surgery to open up the arterial blockage that led to his heart attack.

Following the surgery, Mark returned to Guelph General so the team could make sure his condition was stable before going home.

“I was well looked after. The Hospital took good care of me and transfer of care to a cardiologist and to my family doctor was well coordinated” said Mark about his experience with the Hospital.

Monitor/Defibrillator units are used throughout the Hospital every day in emergency situations.

Even while Mark was stabilized and recovering in ICU, a crash cart containing emergency medical supplies, including a defibrillator, was close by in the event his condition might suddenly change.

Because this piece of equipment is an essential tool that saves lives daily throughout its many departments, Guelph General Hospital is looking to replace its entire fleet of monitor/defibrillators. New defibrillator units have many advanced features that further increase the effectiveness of CPR and the chance of a patient surviving a cardiac event.

Visit Ways to Give to learn how you can help make patient care better at Guelph General Hospital by helping fund priority patient care equipment needs.