Kaiser Permanente Doctor Urges CPR Training for All

The following was submitted for publication by Kaiser Permanente:

It could have been a tragedy but fast action by a physician mom, the San Jose Fire Department, the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Emergency Department, and a constellation of KP pediatric heart specialists saved a little 4 year old San Jose boy from dying.

What started as just a pleasant day at Palmia Park near the hospital for Dr. Suchada Nopachai and her two children turned quickly to crisis as her son Alex climbed the slide.

“I saw him become rigid and then collapse”, says Dr. Nopachai, “and knew instantly that something was wrong.”

Indeed, her 4-year-old son had a rare, sudden cardiac arrest called ventricular fibrillation. And as both a mother and a physician, Dr. Nopachai leaped up the ladder of the slide to catch him and immediately called 911 on her cell phone.

“My son needed my medical knowledge to get him through this,” recounts Dr. Nopachai, who is an Ob-Gyn surgeon at Kaiser Permanente San Jose.

She isn’t sure at what point she went from being a frightened mom to being a calm physician, whose training included some basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“I knew he needed good quality CPR, better than mine,” says Dr. Nopachai, who was connected to San Jose Fire Department 911 operator Jennifer Burnham. Using the cell phone’s speaker, Operator Burnham guided Dr. Nopachai in some basic CPR moves. At the same time, Burnham summoned a nearby fire department rescue crew.

When the firefighters arrived, they began resuscitation. Dr. Nopachai was able to answer their questions.

“At first, we didn’t think it was so severe because the boy’s mom appeared so calm,” said Paramedic Glen Thompson.

The firefighters used the AED “shock” paddles on Alex 3 times and administered epinephrine. There was no response.

“I was so frightened,” says Dr. Nopachai, “but I basically stayed on the outside of the crew’s treatment area as they worked on my son.”

She remembers dogs barking and people beginning to gather, but she focused on how calm and directed the firefighters were as they worked.

Dr. Nopachai stayed behind with her 7 year old daughter as an ambulance raced little Alex to the Emergency Department of Kaiser Permanente San Jose, just a few blocks away. There, the Emergency Department’s “code” team began working on Alex, unaware he was the son of a colleague. They were able to restart his heart.

“Not much has frightened me in 26 years here at Kaiser Permanente,” said Dr. Ram Singh, the emergency physician who worked on the little boy, “but this case did.”

The Emergency Department nurses told Dr. Nopachai later that they had trouble sleeping that same night after the incident.

Alex was stabilized and moved to Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara’s advanced pediatric ICU for hypothermia therapy and further stabilization.

“This is a very lucky family,” said Dr. Catherine Albin, Chief of KP Santa Clara’s pediatric unit. “The boy’s alive and neurologically intact.”

Quick CPR made a huge difference, say physicians. Oxygenated blood was kept circulating to his brain despite his heart not beating normally. Alex was fitted with an electronic defibrillator to insure his heart keeps beating.

Alex and his family had a joyful and tearful reunion with the firefighters and emergency department personnel who saved him. He ran around like a normal 4-year-old and everyone looked amazed. And for Dr. Nopachai?

“I strongly believe everyone should learn high quality CPR. Anyone can save a life.”