By Scott J. Croteau
MassLive.com
PEPPERELL, Mass. — First responders saved the life of a 67-year-old man in Pepperell using a new device that performs consistent and accurate chest compressions on a victim.
Pepperell authorities received a 911 call around 9:30 a.m. Saturday for a report of an unresponsive, non-breathing adult male at a residence on Hollis Street.
Officer Michael Kenney and Detective Jay Friend arrived within minutes and found the man on the floor of the home in cardiac arrest. The man’s son was performing chest compressions.
Pepperell officers took over CPR as Pepperell EMT Melissa Schrader arrived on scene. The first responders continued CPR and used an automated external defibrillator to shock the patient.
Schrader and other responding EMS personnel then utilized the Fire Department’s brand new LUCAS 3 Chest Compression System. The device performs chest compressions on a victim.
“The first responders were able to revive the patient, and he was conscious and talking to them in the ambulance,” authorities said. “The patient was transported to a nearby hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.”
The LUCAS 3 was recently purchased through a grant though the Nashoba Valley Health Fund from the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.
“This is the first time we used our new Lucas machine, and it performed above and beyond our expectations,” Schrader said. “The patient showed promising signs of recovery prior to leaving his home and was talking to the ambulance crew prior to arriving at the hospital.”
Pepperell first responders saved another life earlier in the week. Officials used Narcan to revive a person who had overdosed on drugs.
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