A dramatic start to 2018 for holidaymaker

Johannes Pieterse, 45, who is now recovering back home, said he experienced some chest pain on New Year’s Eve and thought perhaps he had ‘overdone it’ during the festive season.

“I decided to go for a check-up with Ballito general practitioner, Dr Ryall Hamlyn, and thank goodness I did, or I may not be here today to tell the tale.”

Pieterse explained to Dr Hamlyn that he had angina-like pain for approximately 15 minutes the previous day.

He also said that his father had suffered a stroke at the age of 60, which was considered to be a significant familial risk.

Pieterse was asked to go for blood tests and while resting on a couch in the doctors’ waiting room, he started gasping for air and collapsed.

“I checked his pulse, but there was nothing, and he started turning grey. My wife, who is a registered nurse, and I started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] immediately,” Dr Hamlyn recalls.

Netcare 911 paramedics Donny Govender, and Sundheer Singh, took over CPR while Dr Hamlyn briefed them on the patient’s condition. Seconds later, advanced life support paramedic, Shaun Paul, arrived to attend to the critically ill patient.

“Fortunately, with early intervention and the aid of a defibrillator, we were able to treat this life-threatening condition,” said Paul.

“Within minutes, Pieterse’s heart developed a good pulse. We intubated the patient and kept him on a ventilator in a medically-induced coma, however his condition had stabilised and we were able to transport him to hospital for further care.”

Pieterse was later diagnosed with an inferior myocardial infarction.

“I woke up in hospital and a stent was inserted to clear and support the artery that was blocked. I am so grateful to Dr Hamlyn and his wife, the man who ran across the road to call the paramedics, and Netcare 911 for their efforts that certainly saved my life. If not for them, I would probably not have lived to see more than the first day of 2018.”

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