2008 Woodie Awards
Newly-Purchased AED System Used on Professor
Quick thinking, defibrillator may have saved Keith Striggow's life
Sherri Daus
Issue date: 11/20/03 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
During a meeting in the Chase Center on Friday, November 14, Keith Striggow, professor of education and sociology, suffered what appeared to be a cardiac arrest. While Paul White, director of the academic resource center, called 911, faculty members Tom Marcy, Jeff Elzinga, and Mehraban Khodavandi performed CPR.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Dale Carlson, director of food services, arrived with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) unit and, after assessing Striggow's condition, determined that defibrillation was necessary. After using the unit once, Carlson was able to detect a faint pulse. Howards Grove First Responders arrived on the scene and administered oxygen until the Orange Cross ambulance arrived and transported Striggow to St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan. He was later transferred to St. Luke's in Milwaukee, where his condition remains stable.
"There were no heroes here; everybody contributed," said Marcy. "It appeared he had some kind of heart problem- we really couldn't be sure. Jeff, Mehraban, and I helped him to the floor and tried to locate a pulse but it was too weak, so I administered CPR. After five minutes Jeff took over, and then Dale Carlson came rushing in with the AED."
Carlson, a member of the Howards Grove First Responders, received a call on his pager when the 911 call White made went through to the county dispatcher, allowing him to respond within ten minutes of the original call.
"The AEDs are designed to be easy to use. They are completely explanatory, telling you what to do every step of the way," remarked Carlson. "The unit first analyzes the heartbeat of the patient. When an irregular rhythm is detected, the unit tells you a shock is advised. After I used it once, I was able to detect a pulse, so we didn't use the unit again."
"I believe having the AEDs made a significant impact on the outcome of this situation," remarked Carl Constable, director of campus security. "The AED is a small digital box with a voice that gives you directions, but it's necessary to know CPR to use one. The unit is only for incidents related to the heart, and will tell you if a charge is needed or not. It measures bad electrical impulses, and kind of resets the heart, gets it working right again."
Constable wants to order more in order to have them in every building.
"We currently have three- one is kept in the Wehr Center, one is kept in the security office, and one is for the Bradley Building, but I keep it in my office until I can train someone over there."
Cabinets have been ordered for storage of the units, and Constable would like to order at least three more AEDs and cabinets. Funding, however, proves an almost insurmountable impediment.
"The units cost almost $1300 each," stated Constable. "SA helped acquire the money for one, Lakeland matched that, and then bought another one. The security budget just isn't strong enough to support the expense."
Luke Pfeifer, SA president, said, "We held fundraisers and raised $1200 for one unit. The college matched the money raised, and also bought another unit. Carl Constable came up with the idea during RA training in 2002, and I made it my personal goal to support all efforts for it."
Approximately 10 minutes later, Dale Carlson, director of food services, arrived with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) unit and, after assessing Striggow's condition, determined that defibrillation was necessary. After using the unit once, Carlson was able to detect a faint pulse. Howards Grove First Responders arrived on the scene and administered oxygen until the Orange Cross ambulance arrived and transported Striggow to St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan. He was later transferred to St. Luke's in Milwaukee, where his condition remains stable.
"There were no heroes here; everybody contributed," said Marcy. "It appeared he had some kind of heart problem- we really couldn't be sure. Jeff, Mehraban, and I helped him to the floor and tried to locate a pulse but it was too weak, so I administered CPR. After five minutes Jeff took over, and then Dale Carlson came rushing in with the AED."
Carlson, a member of the Howards Grove First Responders, received a call on his pager when the 911 call White made went through to the county dispatcher, allowing him to respond within ten minutes of the original call.
"The AEDs are designed to be easy to use. They are completely explanatory, telling you what to do every step of the way," remarked Carlson. "The unit first analyzes the heartbeat of the patient. When an irregular rhythm is detected, the unit tells you a shock is advised. After I used it once, I was able to detect a pulse, so we didn't use the unit again."
"I believe having the AEDs made a significant impact on the outcome of this situation," remarked Carl Constable, director of campus security. "The AED is a small digital box with a voice that gives you directions, but it's necessary to know CPR to use one. The unit is only for incidents related to the heart, and will tell you if a charge is needed or not. It measures bad electrical impulses, and kind of resets the heart, gets it working right again."
Constable wants to order more in order to have them in every building.
"We currently have three- one is kept in the Wehr Center, one is kept in the security office, and one is for the Bradley Building, but I keep it in my office until I can train someone over there."
Cabinets have been ordered for storage of the units, and Constable would like to order at least three more AEDs and cabinets. Funding, however, proves an almost insurmountable impediment.
"The units cost almost $1300 each," stated Constable. "SA helped acquire the money for one, Lakeland matched that, and then bought another one. The security budget just isn't strong enough to support the expense."
Luke Pfeifer, SA president, said, "We held fundraisers and raised $1200 for one unit. The college matched the money raised, and also bought another unit. Carl Constable came up with the idea during RA training in 2002, and I made it my personal goal to support all efforts for it."