2008 Woodie Awards
Student nearly dies in class
Classmate, professor perform CPR
Katie Gregowicz
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: News
Fast thinking and an Automated External Defibrillator saved the life of an SIUE student last week.
A student was sitting in kinesiology professor John Smith's exercise physiology class Wednesday, Oct. 3, when he began to slump out of his chair.
Senior education major Christopher Kahn sits behind the student in class.
"I saw his chair coming back toward me and I hopped up and went around the table to see what was wrong," Kahn said. "I saw his face and he was obviously distressed."
Kahn said it looked as though the student was having a seizure so he yelled out for someone to call 911 and laid him down on the floor.
Kahn and Smith performed CPR on the student while other students were getting help outside the classroom.
"He had a lot of movement and we had to make sure he didn't bang his head on the floor," Smith said. "Then the movement slowly subsided, he went limp and his pulse disappeared; he became discolored."
Once the AED was brought in, Smith took it out and set it up while Kahn and kinesiology professor David Cluphf continued performing CPR.
Smith said the defibrillator took over once it was activated.
"It said no signal found, which meant no pulse was found," Smith said. "It said a shock was advised, so I shocked him."
After the shock the defibrillator said a signal was found and slowly the student made his way back to consciousness.
"We saw the life leave him and the life come back," Smith said. "It was a miracle."
The Career Fair was taking place downstairs in the Vadalabene Center and a nurse and some police officers in attendance came up to the classroom to help as well.
Smith said this is being termed Sudden Death Syndrome. This happens when the heart gets out of rhythm and there is a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Kahn said Sudden Death Syndrome happens randomly and usually, within five minutes, the victim is gone.
"He's training for a marathon and usually went running after class," Kahn said. "If this had happened after class, he probably would've been on a trail with no one around and there would've been a different ending."
A student was sitting in kinesiology professor John Smith's exercise physiology class Wednesday, Oct. 3, when he began to slump out of his chair.
Senior education major Christopher Kahn sits behind the student in class.
"I saw his chair coming back toward me and I hopped up and went around the table to see what was wrong," Kahn said. "I saw his face and he was obviously distressed."
Kahn said it looked as though the student was having a seizure so he yelled out for someone to call 911 and laid him down on the floor.
Kahn and Smith performed CPR on the student while other students were getting help outside the classroom.
"He had a lot of movement and we had to make sure he didn't bang his head on the floor," Smith said. "Then the movement slowly subsided, he went limp and his pulse disappeared; he became discolored."
Once the AED was brought in, Smith took it out and set it up while Kahn and kinesiology professor David Cluphf continued performing CPR.
Smith said the defibrillator took over once it was activated.
"It said no signal found, which meant no pulse was found," Smith said. "It said a shock was advised, so I shocked him."
After the shock the defibrillator said a signal was found and slowly the student made his way back to consciousness.
"We saw the life leave him and the life come back," Smith said. "It was a miracle."
The Career Fair was taking place downstairs in the Vadalabene Center and a nurse and some police officers in attendance came up to the classroom to help as well.
Smith said this is being termed Sudden Death Syndrome. This happens when the heart gets out of rhythm and there is a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Kahn said Sudden Death Syndrome happens randomly and usually, within five minutes, the victim is gone.
"He's training for a marathon and usually went running after class," Kahn said. "If this had happened after class, he probably would've been on a trail with no one around and there would've been a different ending."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Grant Van Meter
posted 10/11/07 @ 4:42 PM CST
I think that the student was very fortunate to be in Mr. Smith's class...and how ironic that such a circumstance would happen during an EKG class. I had Mr. (Continued…)
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