In his café in Chalandri, a charming suburb of northern Athens, Mr. Nikos was enjoying a typical September day. The café was busy, filled with regular customers stopping by for coffee and to catch up on local news. Mr. Nikos had no idea how a phone call from a business acquaintance on this otherwise uneventful afternoon would lead to such life-changing results.
In the neighboring town of Agia Paraskevi, priest Simeon Telopoulos agreed to accompany fellow priest Stavros Trikaliotis on an errand that took them close to the border of Agia Paraskevi and Chalandri. Like Mr. Nikos, Simeon was unaware that his errand would veer so far off its intended course. And neither anticipated the outpouring of help from the bystanders they would encounter that day.
Simeon and Stavros were talking as Stavros drove toward a traffic light. Simeon was stunned when just 30 meters shy of the traffic light, Stavros suddenly lost consciousness. Without hesitation, Simeon put the car in park and quickly pulled Stavros out of the car to the side of the road. Suspecting sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), he began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Bystanders began gathering around the two men, offering assistance. One bystander called emergency services.
“AED rescue is very important, and defibrillators should be readily available in most buildings.”
Stavros Trikaliotis,
SCA survivor
Quick thinking gets device to victim
Konstantinos Pitsas, a local cardiologist, happened to be passing through the area and saw the crowd gathered around Stavros. He stopped to help Simeon deliver CPR. A nurse passing by also stopped to help.
A businessman from the area named Mr. Stylianos saw the emergency unfolding and also suspected SCA. He knew that bystanders needed an automated external defibrillator (AED) to help Stavros. He recalled that his colleague Mr. Nikos ran a café nearby equipped with an AED.
The call from Mr. Stylianos cut through the sounds of pleasant conversation at Mr. Nikos’ café. He dropped what he was doing, grabbed his ZOLL AED Plus® defibrillator, and went as fast as possible to the intersection where Stavros had collapsed. He had the AED there within minutes.
The rescuers turned on the AED, applied the electrodes to Stavros’ bare chest, and waited while the defibrillator analyzed his heart rhythm. The AED delivered a defibrillating shock and Stavros began breathing on his own. The bystanders continued to follow the guidance of the AED to deliver CPR until an ambulance arrived to transport him to Sotiria Hospital.
Following this experience, Stavros has a deeper understanding of the value of the tools and knowledge needed to help in a sudden cardiac arrest.
Experience brings new perspective
After about a week in intensive care, Stavros’ condition improved and he was able to communicate with his wife, Panagiota Papakosta, and their children. Eventually, Stavros received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and was released.
Following this experience, Stavros has a deeper understanding of the value of the tools and knowledge needed to help in a sudden cardiac arrest.
“AED rescue is very important, and defibrillators should be readily available in most buildings,” explains Stavros. He is grateful to the bystanders who were brave enough to stop and help that day and who had the presence of mind to call and retrieve a nearby AED. Stavros has remained in touch with several of those who helped save his life. “I feel very grateful to all of them,” he says.