Jeff Crew did not hesitate to take action when an 18-year old Ajethan Ramachandranathan collapsed in the middle of class.
A west-end gym teacher and his assistant were given recognition for saving the life of a grade 12 student after using a defibrillator to revive the teenager who ceased to breathe.
Quick action saves a life
According to Jeff Crewe, he was standing at the doorway. The other students in the class shouted and he ran over to the student and looked at him. The student was gasping for air while his eyes were rolling back a bit.
At that point, Crewe administered a shock to the 18-year old and continued to deliver the chest compressions until the young man started to gasp for breath. After a few minutes, the paramedics arrived and took over the scene.
Even though all secondary schools in the Toronto District School Board and some elementary schools have defibrillators installed on the property, it is rare for the devices to be used. In the past years, there were 2 similar incidents according to a spokeswoman.
According to Crewe, they undergo regular training but to utilize it in an actual emergency was different. He shared that the experience was “stressful” but once the condition of the student stabilized, they felt better.
At the time when Ramachandranathan collapsed who had no known lung or heart conditions, he chatted with a student after doing some light activity according to principal Deborah Blair.
Ramachandranathan was admitted to a healthcare facility awaiting transfer to Toronto General to undergo tests to determine the root cause of his collapse. The family was shocked by the incident but grateful for the rapid response of the staff that saved his life.
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For more information, check out these sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600
https://www.healthline.com/health/first-aid/cpr#steps-for-hands–only-cpr