NORTON -- It’s been a tough fall for the Norton High School varsity football team. But last Saturday night, the Lancers improved their record to 1-7 with a win over Sharon. That victory was soon to be overshadowed by something else that happened on the field.
“I heard people calling my name and I looked over, and right here, a gentleman had fallen to the ground,” said Norton High Athletic Trainer Kat Sevigny, who ran over to assist. It turned out the victim was the game official responsible for running the clock -- and his time was clearly running out.
“He was lifeless. It was a blank stare. He was purple in the face,” Sevigny said. “I checked for a pulse and that’s when I noticed he had no pulse. And I immediately started compressions because he wasn’t breathing either.”
Chest compressions help maintain blood flow to vital organs such as the brain. But restarting the man’s heart required use of an Automated External Defibrillator or AED. These devices detect dangerously abnormal heart rhythms, and, if present, apply an electrical shock.
Norton High has three AEDs -- one of them in Kat’s car. As Sevigny continued compressions others, including an off-duty firefighter, hooked the victim up to the AED. Seconds later, the machine delivered a life-saving jolt.
“He had no idea where his glasses were,” Sevigny said. “All he wanted was his glasses. Once he got in the ambulance... I just... the adrenaline took over and I cried,” Sevigny said. “I was just so grateful that he was okay.”
Sevigny said her understanding is that the victim is in stable condition and resting comfortably at a local hospital.
As for how she managed to stay calm in such a high-pressure situation -- Sevigny credits her education at Bridgewater State College.
“I jumped right in,” she said. “My training took over and I knew just exactly what to do. It’s ABCs. We check the airway, breathing, and circulation. And he didn’t have breathing so I started CPR.”
Andrew Eyre, MD, an Emergency Department physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said this incident illustrates the importance of having AEDs available in as many places as possible.
“When it comes to cardiac arrest the things that are really proven to make a difference are really good CPR and early defibrillation,” Eyre said. “All of the things that we can do in the hospital or when an ambulance arrives, really don’t matter if you haven’t had really good CPR and haven’t had a defibrillator attached early.”
Eyre, who carries an AED in his vehicle, said the devices are becoming smaller and smaller -- and, as a result, less expensive. So availability should expand.
“Seconds absolutely count,” he said. “And after a few minutes the likelihood of success goes down significantly. To have it come together in this way where a patient was dead, had a defibrillator attached and people used it correctly -- that’s such an amazing victory.”
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2022 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
