Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 4, 2018

12 Ashley English, clinical nurse educator, meets with Dan Dolezal, Kootenai Heart Clinics Northwest heart patient, at Camera Corral, his shop in Coeur d’Alene. AMiraculous Outcome When most of us wake up in the morning, we don’t anticipate saving a life—but that is exactly what happened to Ashley English, Kootenai Health clinical nurse educator, at an early morning gym class. On June 12, while attending the Transform class at the PEAK gym in Hayden, Ashley noticed a fellow participant behind her, Dan Dolezal, slowly sink to a sitting position. Cardiac arrest “I don’t remember much from that morning,” Dan said. “I remember feeling LIFESAVING SKILLS: Two Off-duty Kootenai Health Employees Perform CPR at Critical Moments THE RIGHT PLACE ATTHE RIGHT TIME A Race for Life David Wyatt never thought he’d end up on a stretcher, being wheeled into the emergency department after narrowly surviving cardiac arrest. So on a sunny Sunday in June, when David and his wife, Dawn, plunged into the Spokane River for their second Race the River Triathlon, he didn’t think twice about his slower- than-normal swim stroke. “I feel we live a healthy lifestyle. We eat very clean, are active and try to do the right things,” David said. “There was nothing unusual about that morning until I started swimming and I noticed I was a bit slower than usual. But that’s it.” Troubledwaters As he approached the end of the swim, David recalls seeing the finish markers on the beach, the first responder’s boat in the water and a volunteer in a kayak tired, having a hot flash and sitting down. But the next thing I remember is waking up and seeing the ambulance crew.” “I saw some people crowding around Dan behind me in the mirror, so I turned around to look at him,” Ashley said. “He had a glazed look on his face, and at first I thought he was having a stroke and started evaluating him. It was at this time I realized he was going into cardiac arrest.” CPRandAEDto the rescue As Ashley began CPR, Julie, the class instructor, ran to get a recently purchased automated external defibrillator (AED). In instances like By Andrea Nagel Kootenai Health employees aided community members in two separate incidents of cardiac arrest, with successful outcomes. These moments highlight the importance of CPR and AED training.