DUBUQUE, Iowa (KWWL) – Tom Ludescher, a Dubuque fire captain, was helping out with his father’s farm work when he suddenly felt dizzy and had to sit down. When he then felt a tight pain in his chest, he knew he was in trouble.
October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. To help promote this, the Dubuque Fire Department is sharing the story of how one of their captains was saved thanks to the quick actions and training of fellow firefighters.
Ludescher’s friend, a fellow firefighter, immediately called emergency services. The Firehouse 4 crew sprang into action and jumped into their vehicles to meet them at one of the stations so they could begin treatment. Arriving in town, Ludescher says the pain got worse.
Dubuque firefighter and paramedic Alex Miller and his team met them in a bank parking lot and got to work.
“As soon as we closed the doors, we noticed Tom wasn’t breathing or talking to us, so we started CPR right away,” Miller said. “Which is not an easy thing to do for someone you know, someone who is close to you. It’s really starting to hit home.
Miller says that on the way to the hospital, Ludescher lost consciousness and stopped breathing twice, he was brought back by shocks from their defibrillator each time.
Ludescher says his fellow firefighter’s training saved his life.
“Everything had to be done quickly and there wasn’t much time to waste,” Ludescher said. “So everything they’ve done since their training has helped me survive the incident.”
Heart disease, of which cardiac arrest can be a symptom, is the leading cause of death in the United States. It has less than 10% survival rate. According to the CDC, heart disease has killed more than 690,000 Americans in the past year alone.
Ludescher says he never had heart problems before that day. However, thanks to this training, he is still alive.
“The number one savior in one of these cardiac arrests is CPR,” said Alex Miller. “So we started CPR, put our heart monitor on, then electrocuted him once, then he woke up.”
Dubuque firefighters are refreshed every two months on how to deal with cardiac arrests. They call it a survival wheel.
Firefighters are trained to begin continuous CPR on a patient immediately, while maintaining the patient’s breathing. By a machine or manually. Then they hook the patient up to his mobile defibrillator, before transporting him to the hospital.
Miller says much of this training is due to Dubuque and the fire department’s focus on improving their ability to rescue people in cardiac arrest.
“Our numbers are growing on patient outcomes,” Miller said. “I don’t have the exact numbers at the moment, but we’re doing a lot better than where we were, say, five years ago. It’s just because of a lot of training throughout the year, still and again and again.
Miller recommends anyone interested take their own CPR training. He says the Red Cross and many local colleges offer CPR courses.
