96 minutes of CPR, and success!

[tezliana]

Making the rounds of news outlets this week: A Goodhue, MN man collapsed from a heart attack while out to get groceries. Witnesses called 911 and started CPR, then organized a line of 20 or more volunteers to cycle through giving CPR until paramedics could arrive at the scene by helicopter - 96 minutes later. (Goodhue is barely a bump in the road

Comments

[perspicuity]

c1 should see this :> he's local to me and teachers CPR...

he'd be possibly appalled at a 96 minute lifeflight but hey, who knows :)

#

[c1]

Kudos to that bunch.

And to perspicuity's point, Boston MedFlight has calls fairly often that range in the 90 minute timeframe. Heck, they even do calls down to Bermuda, and that's a few hours one way!

[tezliana]

I'm curious, are those 90-ish minute calls largely first responder type? Or are those more likely to be transport from one facility to another?

[c1]

"How long is a piece of string?"

They do a lot of interfacility transport, sure, including out to Nassau, Bahamas, SC, etc. (They have a fixed-wing aircraft for these.)
But they will go out in the helicopter to about 100 NM from Bedford, MA if you're really stuck. There is one helicopter in Worcester, MA, two in ME, one in Dartmouth, NH, one in Hartford, CT, and one in Albany. They all cover for each other.

As an aside, Boston MedFlight has three ground ambulances as well.

[starstraf]

my class last fall included the auto-defib machine

[tezliana]

Those are pretty cool, aren't they?