Stuff.co.nz
FAIRFAX, New Zealand — Michael Parkin “died” four times as paramedics worked on him after a major heart attack.
With his life slipping away, and top-level hospital care about 100 kilometres away, intensive care paramedic Ross Munro decided it was time for desperate measures. He took the decision to give Parkin, 59, a high-risk intravenous injection used only in emergencies because of the risk that it can cause heavy and possibly fatal bleeding. Doctors usually do a thorough medical history check to make sure the medication is safe to use on the patient but unro did not have that option with an unconscious Parkin. So Munro called for backup advice and was put through to St John Ambulance deputy medical director Craig Ellis - who happened to be in Texas at the time.
They decided the benefits of the Tenecteplase injection outweighed the risks. A grateful Parkin - still recovering at home in Haumoana after heart surgery and on a cocktail of medication - said yesterday he was just thankful the right people came to his aid at the right time. “All the holes in the cheese lined up,” he said.
Read full story: Paramedic makes life-saving call