Ottawa paramedics are crediting a defibrillator for helping revive a hockey player who collapsed Saturday from cardiac arrest.
They said the 41-year-old was playing at the Minto Arena in southeast Ottawa when he collapsed around 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
Bystanders, including an off-duty paramedic, started CPR immediately and shocked him three times with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to help him regain consciousness.
Paramedics said the man was conscious and talking to them when they handed him over to hospital staff.
Paramedics said they'd like to acknowledge the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario for providing this particular AED, one of more than 600 in Ottawa that paramedics oversee.
They said the "chain of survival", which includes early CPR, early defibrillation and early notification of paramedics, drastically improves survival rates in people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest.
They're encouraging businesses and organizations to buy AEDs and register their machine with them – you can reach their Public Access Defibrillator program co-ordinator at 613-580-2424 extension 22452.
