Nikita, an 8-week old is recovering at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario after a cardiac arrest. The Ottawa Paramedics reported that the quick thinking of the bystanders and paramedic dispatchers helped in saving the life of the baby.
Life on the line
The little boy ceased to breathe while his parents were driving along St. Laurent Blvd. Several bystanders noticed and rushed over. After calling for emergency assistance, the paramedic dispatched provided CPR coaching over the phone to the initial bystanders on the area. After a while, a pair of strangers who had CPR training arrived and resuscitated the child.
According to Geraldina Carvalho, a support worker from Perley Rideau Veteran Health Centre who has first aid training, she saw the head of the baby with arms down and her reaction was to stop the car and run. When she came to the scene, the baby was purple. Carvalho began CPR until David McEvoy, a bylaw officer for the city of Ottawa who teaches CPR on the side, arrived and took over.
Prompt intervention
One of the bystanders went to the firefighters just a few blocks away. In no time, two officers returned to the scene with an infant-sized bag-valve mask and began providing oxygen to the child. The paramedics arrived on the scene soon after and the child was rushed to a healthcare facility in severe condition.
According to McEvoy and Carvalho stress the importance that being knowledgeable on CPR played a vital role in the scene.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a class on first aid and CPR and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.babycenter.com/0_infant-first-aid-for-choking-and-cpr-an-illustrated-guide_9298.bc
https://www.wikihow.com/Do-Basic-First-Aid
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600