Mission Viejo Staffers Save Man's Life After Heart Attack

MISSION VIEJO, CA — The first day of July was another glorious summer day at Mission Viejo's Marguerite Tennis Pavilion. Residents played with friends under a sunny, southern California sky.

When a 74-year-old Mission Viejo resident playing with friends suffered a heart attack, four Mission Viejo city staffers stepped in and are credited with saving his life.

City employee Sam Cho was playing tennis with a 74-year-old member of the Tennis Pavilion, the man suddenly went into cardiac arrest.

“Sam immediately stepped into training mode, yelled to Jenny Choi to call 911 and our pro instructor Ryan Hill to grab an automatic external defibrillator,” said Community Services Manager Lydie Gutfeld of her staff members who are trained in CPR, first aid and AED. “Staff member Will Garcia who happened to be playing tennis after work started compressions as Ryan Hill set up the AED to analyze.”

The city team continued to work in unison administering CPR before and after the AED alerted them to apply the shock.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the AEDs have been instrumental in saving hundreds of lives, not just in OC but across the country.

"It's an enhancement to CPR and we recommend that people get CPR training and also train in using the AED as well," OCFA Captain Larry Kurtz said.

Technology has moved in remarkable ways over the last 20 years, and every day residents can become part of the solution when it comes to administering life-saving care.

"We've come a long way from paddles in the ER, now to the point that you can attach pads to someone and the AED machine does the work, delivers the shock and proper jules for that shock. Technology has made the AED a more accessible piece of equipment at stores and city locations across the county."

Most training for AEDs occurs though the Red Cross or private instruction.

"If you are interested in becoming AED and CPR certified, check with your local City Hall to find out who is offering CPR certification classes," Kurtz said.

In the case of the tennis player, Mission Viejo city staffers managed to restart the man’s heart and he began breathing on his own while they kept him comfortable waiting for OCFA paramedics to arrive.

Doctors said the resident will likely have bypass surgery to fix two blocked valves.

“Our staff had just completed their summer review of CPR/AED on June 24 to take action in an emergency," Gutfeld said. "They followed procedures perfectly and kept a very hectic situation calm. The doctors confirmed multiple times that we saved his life with effective emergency action. That’s a pretty solid compliment to our team and the hours we commit to training efforts.”

Photo, courtesy City of Mission Viejo