Norwalk First Responders Save Man After Sudden Cardiac Arrest

NORWALK, CT — A Nuvance Health patient recently thanked Norwalk's emergency responders for their life-saving actions after a friendly tennis game nearly turned fatal this fall, according to health officials.

John Taney, 78, was playing tennis with friends in the city's Harbor View neighborhood on Oct. 7when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest around 9 a.m.

In a news release, Nuvance Health spokesperson Marcela Rojas described Taney's condition as an abrupt loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness that usually results from an electrical disturbance in the heart. It is not the same as a heart attack, where blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, Rojas said.

Taney's friends quickly called 911 and received CPR instructions over the phone before Norwalk fire, police and Emergency Medical Services arrived. David Peterson, a police officer, was the first to arrive and applied an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on Taney, Rojas said.

Norwalk Hospital EMS paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians continued resuscitation, and Taney's circulation returned after receiving multiple defibrillations, CPR and medication.

According to Rojas, Taney's heart was not beating on its own for about 25 minutes.

"There aren't words to adequately thank everyone," Taney said in a news release, noting all the teams that came together to save were "just incredible."

Taney was discharged and able to return home on Oct. 14 after receiving care in the hospital's Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit for about a week, Rojas said.

Taney recently spoke before members of the city's fire and police departments, EMS and 911 dispatch during a celebratory gathering at Norwalk Hospital.

"You are all heroes. I can't express my appreciation enough," Taney said in a news release. "In our home, as we go into the holidays, instead of tears there will be joy."

Norwalk Hospital EMS Director Aaron Katz said he had the pleasure of meeting Taney after he recovered and noted it was "very kind" of him to thank everyone involved in his rescue.

"Believe it or not, this is a rare event to have someone suffer this type of medical event and come out the other side," Katz said in a news release. "This case is an example of how rapid recognition, 911 activation, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and a high-performance, multi-tiered EMS system can save lives in cases of sudden cardiac arrest."