Oct 8, 2008 11:38 pm US/Eastern
Keeping Cool To Stay Alive
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
A South Florida woman who received a "cool" reception from a doctor several weeks ago thanked him Wednesday for using a cutting edge new procedure to save her life.
For Maria Villarta, September 26th will always be a day she'll never forget. Not only is it the anniversary of her daughter's death, it is also the day she almost lost her life on the beach at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
Villarta and her husband had gone to the beach to reflect on the life of the young daughter they had lost. At one point her husband and sons went to get food. When they returned, they found Villarta unconscious on the beach; she was not responsive, not breathing and without a pulse. Her husband, trained as a physician in the Philippines, began CPR as the couple's 11-year-old son called for help.
Dr. Michael Farrell, who had just finished his shift at Holy Cross Hospital's Emergency Department, was dining at a beachfront restaurant when he saw the commotion and went to help. BSO Fire Rescue crews arrived and along with Dr. Farrell began aggressive efforts to resuscitate Villarta including Induced Cooling by EMS (ICE) which involves pre-hospital cooling of heart attack victims using near-frozen medications to lower the patient's body temperature.
Villarta's rescuers restored her heartbeat and rushed her Holy Cross' Emergency Department; a designated ICE Center that provides induced hypothermia, carefully lowering the body temperature. By cooling the patient, it preserves precious oxygen in cells, thus increasing the chances for survival and recovery.
On Wednesday Villarta and her husband thanked Dr. Farrell, the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue crew and the hospital staff for saving her life. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue is the first department in Florida, and currently one of a handful of departments in the nation, which uses pre-hospital hypothermic resuscitation.
"This represents great strides in delivering 21st Century medicine," said BSO Fire rescue EMS Chief Steve Krivjanik. "As the standard of care continues to evolve, we're seeing more hospitals and municipal EMS providers coming on board with this treatment."
Villarta is the eighth patient to receive ICE since its introduction by BSO Fire Rescue last April.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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