'Heartsaver' corporal awarded for saving cardiac victim's life

Corporal Mohammed Naji Ali Dabos being honoured by a representative of the American Heart Association at the Dubai International Airport on Monday for saving the life of a heart attack victim.

A Dubai policeman has been hailed as the first 'Heartsaver Hero' after he recognised symptoms of a heart attack in a victim during a routine remote surveillance and dispatched a police car and ambulance in time to save his life.
The victim survived due the quick actions taken by Corporal Mohammed Naji Ali Dabos.
Last year, Corporal Dabos was monitoring road surveillance cameras at a Dubai Police operations room, when he used his training to identify someone having a heart attack. Operating remotely, he immediately dispatched a patrol car and an ambulance. The victim survived. This was the first time Corporal Dabos had encountered such a medical cardiac emergency.
At an event held at Dubai International Airport on Monday, Corporal Dabos was awarded by the American Heart Association (AHA).
The award acknowledges an individual who has used effective training to sustain or save a life and is part of the AHA's activities around Heartsaver Month celebrated annually in March in the Middle East.
The Dubai Health Authority's clinic at the airport offered free Hands-Only CPR training to travellers and airport employees during a five-hour event. More than 300 people received this training, adding to AHA's goal of training 25,000 new cardiac lifesavers in the Middle East and North Africa during this Heartsaver Month. Corporal Dabos had been part of the first hour of the training.
"This corporal is a true hero, not only to the patient, but also to his family," said Abdurazak Jumale, MD, Medical In-Charge, Airport Medical Centre, DHA and a volunteer with the AHA.
"He acted wisely and fast, which are two keys in increasing survival from cardiac events." Heartsaver Month emphasises the important role bystanders play for someone experiencing a cardiac event. For example, in cardiac arrest, a life-or-death cardiovascular event in which the heart suddenly stops, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. Immediate CPR can double or triple a victim's chance of survival.
Conventional CPR, which consists of rescue breaths and chest compressions, requires a training course by an educational body such as the AHA. Hands-Only CPR can be performed by anyone and takes just a few minutes to learn, as more than 300 people did throughout the day at the Dubai International Airport.
"Every second counts in a cardiac arrest," said Firas Al-Najjar, MD, Consultant Emergency Medicine/Residency Programme Director, Rashid Hospital and a volunteer with the AHA.
"Even those who have not been formally trained in conventional CPR with breaths can perform Hands-Only CPR, a simple, effective technique that physically pumps the heart, providing oxygenated blood to vital organs. And, since most cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital, the life saved is likely to be a family member or friend."
"The most important part of any training is being able to recognise a situation and understand how to respond," said Corporal Dabos. "I feel fortunate to have undergone training that prepared me to be able to identify signs of a potentially fatal heart attack, and I encourage others to take such training because you never know when you might need the skills to save a life."
Two simple steps of Hands-Only CPR
> Call the local emergency response number
> Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest at the rate of 100-120 beats per minute until help arrives
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com