CPR Buys Him "7 Minutes"... Middle School Son Saves Father in Cardiac Arrest

Son performs CPR after father suffers cardiac arrest
Fire authorities provide real-time guidance using illustrations and videos

A middle school student saved his father's life after he collapsed by performing CPR.

A call-taker providing CPR instructions via video call. Provided by the Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters.

According to the Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters on November 3, a man in his 40s, identified as A, collapsed after having difficulty breathing at an apartment in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, at around 7:51 p.m. on October 18. His son, identified as B, who was with him, immediately called 119 but was too flustered to give the exact address.

Fire authorities immediately contacted A's wife to confirm the address and front door access code, then dispatched an ambulance. In the meantime, when A lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest, B remembered the CPR he had learned in a fire safety class and immediately began chest compressions.

When the heart stops beating, blood flow is interrupted, causing tissue damage. If this continues for a certain period, cells die and the person eventually dies. In such a life-or-death situation, there are only four minutes to save a life. If the heart is not restarted within four minutes of cardiac arrest through immediate chest compressions or the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), the likelihood of successful defibrillation decreases by 7% to 10% for every minute of delay.

The 119 Emergency Medical Dispatch Center made a video call to B, helping him perform chest compressions to a steady rhythm and providing real-time guidance on first aid techniques using animated illustrations and videos. B continued CPR for about seven minutes until the ambulance arrived. After reaching the scene at around 7:58 p.m., the paramedics administered advanced emergency care, including defibrillation and securing the airway, and the patient's heart began beating again.

Fire authorities said the precious life was saved thanks to B's prompt initial response, the 119 dispatcher's quick identification of the location, and guidance from the Emergency Medical Services Situation Management Center. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Acute Cardiac Arrest Survey, the survival rate was 15.3% when CPR was performed by a bystander, about 2.7 times higher than the 5.6% rate when it was not performed.

B's family said, "We would like to express our deepest gratitude to 119 for helping us protect the life of a beloved family member," adding, "Having received help, we will live ready to help others if we witness a similar situation in the future."

Jin Hyeongmin, chief of the Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters, said, "This precious outcome was made possible by the courage of a son who put the CPR he learned at school into practice in a real-life emergency, along with the swift and systematic response of 119." He emphasized, "For a patient in cardiac arrest to survive, it is important for the first person on the scene to perform CPR promptly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.