Recovery attempts fail and emergency services delayed
Heimlich manoeuvre: knowledge inadequate
FN reported yesterday that in Madeira, an individual recently died due to choking. While having dinner with his wife in a restaurant in the region, the 66-year-old man choked on a piece of meat in his throat without anyone being able to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre to unblock his airways. Stunned by the shock and with a clear lack of knowledge of this basic first aid technique, those present simply watched as the victim fainted, until he died from asphyxiation.
Emergency services took 25 minutes
As if that weren’t enough, the official emergency services were also slow to arrive at the incident in time, namely the firefighters, not to mention that there is only one EMIR vehicle to respond to all requests from the Region. In fact, after several calls from the restaurant, the firefighters, whose station was about five minutes away from the scene, arrived just 15 minutes later; the manoeuvres carried out by the firefighters were not adequate, until EMIR (the rapid intervention medical team) arrived, approximately 25 minutes after the call for help. In total, the man spent around 40 minutes without the necessary oxygen so that his brain and other organs were not irreparably compromised. The individual was still in an induced coma in intensive care, since entering the services last Friday night, and ended up passing away yesterday afternoon.
Only one rapid response vehicle in Madeira
The website believes the delay in assistance is regretted, as well as the lack of capacity of the fire team in the first resuscitation manoeuvres. Furthermore, it is unjustifiable for the Autonomous Region to only have one EMIR vehicle for the entire island, which often means that professionals cannot respond more effectively to the most urgent requests.
This death would have been destined, but there are glaring aspects that require reflection by everyone, particularly the competent authorities.
The family of the deceased are in shock and outraged by the death of a loved one in such an unexpected and absurd way. Whether in the restaurant industry or in other sectors of society, we must educate ourselves on the most basic rules of basic life support, instead of such an ostentatious bet on concrete and other competitions.
On the other hand, the slow response to assistance from entities linked to health and safety is generating many critical repairs on the part of family members and the community. What is certain is that, no matter how many justifications and arguments are given to such an unexpected and incredible episode, no one can now recover the life of an individual, who is also a healthcare professional.
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A sad and distressing situation for all involved.
Bearing in mind this was in a restaurant which is the most likely location that somebody could choke on a piece of food you would think that restaurant staff would be trained to perform the Heimlich.
You would think that with kitchens being an area where serious accidents can occur that kitchen staff would be trained in first aid.
Not sure if this is an EU requirement or not but maybe it ought yo be.
Totally agree. In the US all restaurant and commercial centers must train employees in First Aid, including CPR, Heimlich and now the first response paddles for heart attack.
Mandatory First Aid certified commercial works is absolutely necessary for all restaurant & commercial centers employees! “Save a Life”
I recommend everyone learning, don’t wait for a staff member to notice or save you. I was at a friends house for dinner when I started choking while eating and laughing and then couldn’t breathe or tell anyone. Every was laughing and talking and they didn’t notice until I stood and basically punched myself in the gut. Then all the contents of my stomach landed on the table. They noticed then.