Foreign Student Suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Class, Then。。。

Source: OT-Team(G),姑苏晚报

  A 20-year-old foreign student, David (pseudonym), recently made headlines after surviving a sudden cardiac arrest during a class in Suzhou, thanks to timely intervention. David was in Suzhou as part of a summer exchange program when the incident occurred.

  On the afternoon of August 12, at around 4:30 PM, David suddenly collapsed during a class. The instructor immediately called the emergency hotline, 120. Ye Bin, a staff member, rushed to the scene upon hearing the commotion and found that David had no pulse. He quickly retrieved an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and began performing CPR.

  Yang Xiaoping, a dispatcher from the Suzhou Emergency Center, received the call and promptly dispatched an ambulance. Through a video call, Yang guided those on the scene in performing CPR and using the AED. "From the video, it was clear that the patient was exhibiting 'agonal breathing,' a sign of imminent death. Continuous CPR was crucial," Yang said.

  Following the dispatcher's instructions, two individuals took turns performing chest compressions. Dr. Zhou Jie, an ICU specialist at Suzhou Municipal Hospital's Shantang Branch, provided real-time guidance via video. "Press harder! Don't stop!" she urged. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics continued with CPR, administered oxygen, and relayed information to the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University.

  David was transported to the hospital within 26 minutes of the emergency call, with CPR being performed continuously throughout the journey.

  "Upon receiving the information, we prepared for his arrival, with the ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) team on standby," said Lu Fan, an attending physician in the Emergency Medicine Department at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. When David was admitted, he was in a deep coma, with significant bleeding from his mouth and nose. After an additional seven minutes of CPR, his heart rate and pulse were restored, but he remained unconscious and was transferred to the ICU for further treatment.

  That evening, a city-wide MDT (Multidisciplinary Team) of experts convened for a consultation on David's condition. The next day, the hospital organized another consultation to discuss the underlying cause, conducted additional tests, and consulted online with Professor Zhan Qingyuan, a critical care expert from China-Japan Friendship Hospital, under the guidance of Academician Wang Chen.

  By August 15, David began to regain consciousness. On August 16, doctors attempted to wean him off the ventilator, and by August 17, after the removal of the endotracheal tube, David was able to communicate.

  "The cause of cardiac arrest in a 20-year-old is complex," explained Guo Qiang, Vice President of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Multidisciplinary analysis, including MRI and laboratory tests, revealed that David had developed encephalitis, which led to secondary stroke due to vascular inflammation and blockage.

  "This is the best outcome we could have hoped for. We are extremely grateful to everyone who helped our son," said David's parents, who had flown to Suzhou upon hearing of his condition. Overwhelmed with emotion after seeing their son and learning about the efforts to save him, they expressed their deepest gratitude. "He's alive today because of everyone here. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts," David's father said.

  Now, aside from some mild motor impairment in his right arm, David is communicating and eating normally. "We hope he can fully recover as quickly as possible. That's our goal," said Guo Qiang, expressing optimism about David's rehabilitation.