Real-life Sudden Cardiac Arrest Disrupts CPR Class

Jan. 06--Forget the training videos.

A group of students taking a CPR class in Rochester got a chance to see those life-saving skills put into action last weekend.

Jennifer Brandt, an instructor for Twin Cities Safety, had just begun class introductions at the American Red Cross in Rochester when two volunteers entered the building. Moments later, a man interrupted the class and said, "I think my friend is having a problem."

Brandt rushed out of the classroom.

"I went out and took basically two seconds to look at him and I was like, 'We have an emergency. Call 911. Someone help me get him to the floor," she said.

The four students enrolled in the Basic Life Support class for health-care providers quickly came to their instructor's aid. One student assisted with CPR while others gathered emergency equipment and called for an ambulance. Within a couple of minutes, paramedics arrived and assisted Brandt with the CPR. After six to eight minutes of emergency aid, the man took a breath.

"When he took that first breath on his own, I was like, 'Amen,'" Brandt said.

The man was taken to the hospital. An hour and half after the incident, the paramedics returned to tell the class that the man had survived. Some of the students cried upon hearing the good news.

"They were literally seeing a whole emergency scenario play out in real life," the 29-year-old instructor said.

Brandt said she was particularly impressed with how her new students reacted during the emergency.

"I'm never going to forget those students, what they did that day, because they could have just stepped away from me, they could have said, 'I'm not trained,'" Brandt said. "But they didn't. They listened to everything I told them and they were right by my side."

Melanie Tschida, executive director of the American Red Cross Southeast Minnesota Chapter, said this latest incident is a good reminder of the importance of CPR training.

"Red Cross has a goal that at least one person in every family knows CPR because it is more likely that it is a family member we would need to help. That is who we spend most of our time with," she said.

The American Red Cross offers a range of courses. Some of the coursework can even be done online. For more information, individuals can visit redcross.org/takeaclass.

Brandt, who has taught CPR classes for three years, said she has never had an experience like this one. She said she hopes all the publicity surrounding this incident will inspire other people to get training. She said she has always thought that CPR training should be part of high school health classes so that students graduate with these critical skills.

"Having that positive outcome for me as an instructor -- that is why I teach the class," Brandt said. "I teach people to have these life-saving skills because it can and does save lives."

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