On May 1st at 7:30 PM, just half an hour before dinner, a situation unfolded at the Sa Blanca Dona sports center—which the Consell de Ibiza set up as a temporary shelter for vulnerable individuals during the Coronavirus pandemic—that will remain in the memories of eyewitnesses for a long time. One of its residents, a man around 45 years old who was at the sports center entrance talking with his wife, suddenly collapsed. Other residents witnessing the scene notified reception to alert emergency medical technician Renzo Napoli, who happened to be on-site at that moment.
When Mr. Napoli arrived at the scene, he found the man lying on his side, experiencing seizures. He quickly turned him onto his back and noticed he was struggling to breathe. It was immediately clear: he was dealing with cardiac arrest. He initiated the CPR protocol, requested security personnel to fetch the sports center’s defibrillator and call emergency services (112) while he began resuscitation maneuvers. Fortunately, the Sa Blanca Dona sports center was equipped with a semi-automatic defibrillator previously supplied by Emergency Staff.
As soon as Mr. Napoli attached the AED pads and the device analyzed the patient’s cardiac rhythm, a shock was advised. Renzo pressed the shock button, after which he immediately resumed CPR. In less than a minute, the man began coughing. Renzo turned him onto his side to clear secretions from his mouth while requesting paper towels to clean him and a towel to support his head as they awaited the ambulance. Throughout the scene, his wife remained extremely anxious, calling out her husband’s name repeatedly and asking Mr. Napoli what she should do. At that moment, Renzo placed the woman’s hand on her husband’s chest; upon feeling his heartbeat, she immediately calmed down. The ambulances arrived quickly—both a basic life support unit and an ICU ambulance—transferring the patient to Policlínica del Rosario.
In the interview, Mr. Napoli emphasized how crucial having immediate access to a defibrillator was from the very first second. Coincidentally, just a few days earlier, he had conducted a talk for all shelter residents on defibrillator operation so everyone knew what actions to take and where the AED was located if needed. For this emergency technician, it was not his first cardiac arrest intervention; nevertheless, despite his experience, he noted that “it is always striking to see the lifeless face of a person whose life is literally in your hands during CPR.”
When the ambulance departed with the patient, dinner time arrived just a few minutes later. An atmosphere of quiet emotion filled the sports hall, a stark contrast to the usual daily bustle. Everyone present became profoundly aware of how important it is to have a defibrillator available and to know how to use it to save a person’s life during cardiac arrest. Our heartiest congratulations on this happy outcome.
En el sector del ocio, la formación continua es la mejor herramienta de prevención.
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