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as told by Vickie Hovell, RN  Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time. That was the case for me when a local man collapsed in cardiac arrest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. I am a registered nurse and the clinical manager of the Telephone Nurse Advisors. I was traveling with my husband and daughter. We had taken a short vacation and I had attended a nursing conference about the future of nursing and the image of nurses.
We had rushed across the airport to catch our connecting flight to La Crosse. We arrived at the gate only to learn our flight was delayed. Suddenly we noticed a man, who had also been rushing to catch the same flight, slump over in his chair. Two bystanders laid him on the floor, and I quickly determined he had no pulse and wasn’t breathing.
An emergency like this has never happed to me outside of Gundersen Lutheran—a controlled environment filled with medical staff and equipment. My training in CPR enabled me to stay calm and focused. The scenario I had practiced so often was now reality. Fortunately, there were two other nurses from La Crosse who also came to this man’s aid. The three of us worked very well together in this emergency situation.
I told a bystander to call 911 and to find an automated external defibrillator (AED). Then one of the other nurses and I began CPR. There was some difficulty locating the AED, but eventually it was found. We quickly got the man connected to the AED, administered one shock and resumed CPR. Within a few seconds, he started to breath and his heart started to beat on its own. Emergency personnel were soon there, and by the time they transferred him to the ambulance, he was even talking.
As I looked around at all the bystanders following this event, I couldn’t help but reflect on the nursing conference I had just attended. The image of nursing these people witnessed was one of quick action, calm manner, expert knowledge and professional training. Nursing truly is the provision of expert knowledge and skills—in whatever situation we encounter.
I later learned the man had quadruple bypass surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. We all feel thankful this story had a happy ending for him. I am grateful for my role and the role of the other nurses, in this emergency response.
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