‘It just wasn’t his time to go’
Thanks to the well-trained Virgin Active staff, an automated external defibrillator (AED), and a doctor who happened to be on site, Mr Glen Coertzen's life was saved last week after he collapsed on one of the gym's squash courts.
Emergency services arrived on the scene just minutes after being notified by the gym. According to ER24’s Greg Wilcox, Netcare 911 was first to respond, after which ER24 took over.
“The patient appeared to have gone into cardiac arrest. But when we arrived, he was fully awake. The doctor and gym staff had used the AED to get the return of his pulse. Everything was under control, we just had to arrange the transport to Mediclinic Nelspruit,” Wilcox said.
“It is statistically proved that early shock has a better outcome for the patient.”
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Coertzen said the angiogram (an X-ray test of the blood flow in an artery or a vein) had shown that his heart was fine.
“In fact, the results showed my heart is better than it was five years ago. Doctors think it may be arrhythmia,” he said.
According to the American Heart Association website, the term “arrhythmia” refers to any change from the normal sequence of electrical impulses. These impulses may happen too fast, too slowly, or erratically, causing the heart to beat in the same ways.
“When the heart does not beat properly, it cannot pump blood effectively,” it read.
Coertzen was playing squash with his brother-in-law, Brad van Zyl, at the time of the incident.
I want to say a huge thank you to all those people who happened to be in the right place at the right time. To my guardian angel, Brad, Dr Petro Vermooten and the Virgin Active staff, who are all so well trained and equipped, I am so grateful,” he said.
According to Virgin Active’s manager, Riaan Venter, the response speed in cases like this is incredibly important. All front-line staff and managers are first-aid qualified and equipped to deal with such situations.
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“We have a panic system in place. All staff on duty respond to the call in a medical emergency. Then, an announcement is made to all Virgin members to find out if there is a doctor in the building. Thirdly, the emergency services are contacted,” Venter said.
Health and safety is a priority. All Virgin clubs have AEDs on site and we carry out regular drills to make sure the emergency action plan is in working order. These things are in place to save people’s lives.”
Coertzen added that he hopes more public places will invest in AEDs so that more lives can be saved.
Vermooten said it was a textbook case of the unexpected, where her training and instinct set in.
“I guess it just wasn’t his time to go,” she said.
Coertzen is back at work and driving but he is concerned that the doctors do not know exactly what happened to him. He hopes to hear feedback about his results today.
What is an AED?
An AED is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm. AEDs are usually used to treat sudden cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.
