Quick action by these individuals made a difference

On June 30th 2012 Medic Ambulance 74 was dispatched to a Cardiac Arrest/Possible chocking.  All other units in West Valley were on apartment fires on Dean Drive.  Medic Ambulance 74 was dispatched with South Salt Lake Engine 43.  Medic Ambulance arrived to find a 70’s year old female laying outside on the patio cyanotic, unconscious, breathing at a rate of 4 per minute.  Family had started the Heimlich maneuver and then patient went unconscious the family stared Chest Compressions.
Upon arrival Medic Ambulance 74 (Paramedic Hatch and Paramedic Fisher) realized the seriousness of the situation and knew that South Salt Lake was 10 minutes away.  The patient was laying on the ground breathing very slow. Medic 74 used the laryngoscope and the McGill forceps to try to remove the FBAO (foriegn body airway obstruction).  The patient’s family stated they were eating steak and the patient started to choke.  Upon visualizing the patients airway there was a large mass of food in the patient’s trachea.  The crew was able to remove a piece of bread from the airway but the patient gasped and the obstruction became further lodged.  Chest compression and abdominal thrusts were unsuccessful.  West Valley Police detective arrived and was summoned to get the ambulance gurney.
As the patient was loaded up by the crew South Salt Lake Engine 43 arrived and assisted in placing the patient inside Medic Ambulance 74.  South Salt Lake crew was very helpful in the success of this call.  They drove the ambulance to Pioneer Valley Hospital.  On the way to Pioneer Valley the crew members on Medic Ambulance 74 performed a surgical cricothyrotomy, after attempts to remove the airway obstruction.  This was the difference in the patient’s survival.  The staff at Pioneer Valley was surprised that a surgical airway was done and that there was such a large piece of steak in the throat.  There was no way possible to remove the object in the field.  The quick action by these crew members made a difference in this family’s life.
Pioneer Valley Hospital stated that the patient was recovering from surgery they had to place a tracheostomy in the patient but she was smiling and giving the family thumbs up. I wanted to personally thank Zackery Hatch and Cody Fisher for their work under very difficult and limited manpower situation


submitted by Engineer Curtis Harper