Collapsed at the Gym, Saved by a Defibrillator
69 year old Efraim had just finished exercising, when he suddenly collapsed in cardiac arrest
In February, Ephraim Etzioni (69) arrived at the gym in Tel Aviv. Moments after finishing his routine workout, he suddenly began to feel ill and collapsed. Trainees around him recognized the emergency, called MDA's 101 Emergency Call Center and began performing initial resuscitation operations with instructions from the MDA call-taker.
Ami Mekamel, an gym employee and a volunteer EMT at the MDA, along with another employee of the gym - were the first to perform intensive CPR operations which included two electric shocks using a defibrillator. Minutes later, MDA teams arrived at the scene and continued the CPR operations and after four more shocks and at the end of long time without a pulse - Efraim's heart started beating again.
On the way to the hospital, Efraim's condition deteriorated again and Efraim needed additional resuscitation operations. The team of the mobile intensive care unit led by paramedics Miriam Kuznitz and Rafi Sefer, who through the device gave Efraim several more electric shocks and his heart started beating again. Efraim was taken to the hospital for further recovery in the hospital and after a few days - returned to his home without long-lasting damage.
About a month after the incident that ended in a great miracle - Efraim once again met the MDA teams that saved his life, this time, with a big smile.
Efraim Etzioni: "That day I finished training as usual, got ready to go out and suddenly woke up in Ichilov Hospital. I realized in retrospect that I had a cardiac arrest and that I am very lucky that my life was saved thanks to the MDA people who fought for me. I am alive thanks to the amazing device, with which I also regularly walk around by my side for the past four years - I always wanted to help and save others and this time they saved me."
Ami Mekamel, a maintenance worker at the Dekel Country Club gym and a volunteer medic at MDA: "I am happy that we were in the right place at the right time, and we were able to save dear Efraim's life. It's exciting and very special to see him here in front of us smiling and feeling great."
Rosie Savroni, an MDA EMT, added: "We did everything to save Ephraim and we didn't give up, even after many minutes. I am a new volunteer and this was only my second shift at MDA - to my delight it ended in a great miracle and it is a great privilege to meet Ephraim standing on his feet and smiling."
