LANHAM, MD (WJZ)– Maryland National Guard soldiers are being credited with helping to save a mans life while assisting in an emergency room in Lanham.
Spcs. Patrick Sheil and Paul Hofe of the Maryland National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, were assisting the nurses and doctors at Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center on February 18th when a man came into the emergency room in respiratory distress.
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The man then became unresponsive and lost his pulse.
The doctor on duty in the emergency room immediately declared a cardiac arrest and requested as much manpower support as possible.
Spc. Sheil and a nurse provided compressions as a team for the first 20 minutes. At the time, Hofe was moving a different patient from the ER to another location on the sixth floor.
Sheil says he sent a text message to Hofe and communicated the seriousness of the situation to come down to the room and provide assistance.
“He skipped the elevator, ran straight to the stairwell, and triple-timed down here.”
Hofe quickly joined Sheil with the compressions, allowing the nurse to rotate to other lifesaving interventions for the patient. For the next 40 minutes, the two provided compressions as a team.
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“We did achieve a return of spontaneous circulation,” said Sheil. “So the patient’s heart began to beat on its own after several rounds of epinephrine injections, [sodium] bicarbonate injections, and other lifesaving interventions that were applied.”
CPR efforts ceased once the doctor determined the patient had a sustainable pulse.
The Soldiers credit their training for preparing them for the situation, including the combat lifesaver Course, tactical combat casualty care course and a CPR course.
The day after providing lifesaving CPR support, Hofe again found himself in a first responder role.
“On I-95, on the other side of the highway, there was a vehicle flipped over and the vehicle who had hit that vehicle,” said Hofe. “By the time I got there, the cops were there. I assisted in pulling the gentleman out of the vehicle, got him stabilized and put into the ambulance.”
“It’s a great feeling to be filled with purpose,” said Hofe. “I joined the National Guard to help. You never know when the training that you’re taught is going to be needed. But when you’re in a position to be in charge or to do something, then you need to fill that role and you need to step up and do that.”
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