3 good Samaritans jump into action to save man's life during Marple Township basketball fundraiser
MARPLE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) - Three good Samaritans who saved a man's life during a medical emergency are receiving a Citizen Commendation Award at Monday's Marple Township Board of Commissioners meeting.
Vince Cicione, 64, was playing basketball during a March Madness fundraiser at St. Pius X School on March 19 when he suddenly stopped breathing and collapsed onto the floor in cardiac arrest.
His daughter Marissa and two bystanders, Kerri Pierangeli and Liz Babeuf, jumped in to help. Pierangeli and Babeuf both happen to be nurses.
Marissa Cicione and Babeuf performed chest compressions to maintain blood flow to Cicione's brain and Pierangeli used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to restore his heartbeat.
"The only better place he could have been was a hospital. Like we are very lucky," Marissa Cicione said. "Just the amount of things that had to align and happen for him to be alive, it's incredible."
Vince Cicione regained consciousness and began breathing again before paramedics even arrived. After getting a stent and a pacemaker, he is almost fully recovered.
"The right place, the right time, with the right people, is all it was," Vince Cicione said. "It was a miracle."
What's an AED?
An AED, also known as an automated external defibrillator, is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, according to the American Red Cross. The medical device measures the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.
How to use an AED
Amy Jackson, an EMT instructor with the Marple Township Ambulance Corp., showed CBS News Philadelphia how to perform chest compressions and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
- Start chest compressions.
- You should ask a bystander to call 911 for help. If you are by yourself, don't stop chest compressions.
- Lay down the person on a flat surface, locate the center of the chest and start compressions. Do about 100 to 120 compressions a minute.
- Locate the AED, turn it on and follow the voice prompts.
- Remove clothing and attach pads correctly: Place one pad on the upper right side of the chest and place the other pad on the lower left side of the chest, a few inches below the left armpit.
- Prepare to let the AED analyze the heart's rhythm. Make sure no one is touching the person and say, "CLEAR!" in a loud, commanding voice.
- Deliver a shock, if the AED determines one is needed.
- After the AED delivers the shock, or if no shock is advised, immediately start CPR, beginning with compressions.