Paramedic, 53, treating cardiac arrest patient suffer heart attack

Paramedic, 53, treating cardiac arrest patient has heart attack himself and is saved by colleagues

• Jeremy Williams, 53, was treating patient at her home in Stewartby, Bedfordshire
• But he began experiencing ‘excruciating’ pain himself and needed treatment
• Paramedics had to treat the pair side by side before rushing them to hospital 
• Mr Williams has now had two stents fitted to unblock arteries around his heart
• He says: ‘If I was to have a heart attack, it couldn’t have been with better people’

A paramedic who was treating a cardiac arrest patient suffered a heart attack himself and had to be saved by colleagues.

Jeremy Williams, 53, was resuscitating the 30-year-old woman at her home in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, when he started experiencing ‘excruciating’ pain.

His colleagues immediately realised what was happening, with some having to continue shocking the woman while others began carrying out an electrocardiogram on Mr Williams alongside her.

When they discovered he was having a heart attack, the East of England Ambulance Service paramedics worked side by side to manage both casualties and transfer them to separate hospitals.

Mr Williams, a senior emergency medical technician from Kempston, Bedfordshire, subsequently underwent surgery and had two stents fitted to unblock the arteries around his heart.

He and the original patient are now both making full recoveries.

Recalling the incident, Mr Williams said: ‘It was one of those things which never, ever happens. I can laugh about it now because I’m glad to be here, but if it hadn’t been for my colleagues it would be a completely different story.

Jeremy Williams (circled) received life saving treatment from colleagues David Jadidi (left), Nadine Ward (centre left) and Shaun Whittington (right)

‘We knew it was a bad job when we arrived because the patient’s condition was so serious, but it just seemed to get worse from there.

‘I’ve come off a motorbike at high speed so know what pain is, but have never felt anything like I did on that day.

‘It was so excruciating that the crew couldn’t dry my chest to attach the ECG. But once they did get a reading, they knew what they had to do and transferred me straight to the specialist hospital at Lister where I had two stents fitted.

‘I now feel fine, but shudder to think what the outcome would be if this had happened on a country road in the middle of nowhere with no one else around.

‘But for me, everything fell into place – if I was going to have a heart attack, I couldn’t have had it with better people around me.

‘I will be forever grateful for the amazing team effort which helped to save two lives that day.’

Colleagues Mark Evans, Nadine Ward, Paul Neary, Dave Jadidi and Sophie Reynolds worked together to treat both patients.

Shaun Whittington, an advanced urgent care paramedic, led the incidents and described the shift as one he will never forget.

He added: ‘Jeremy’s heart rate and blood pressure dropped dramatically while we were on the way to hospital and at one point I thought he was going to go into cardiac arrest.

Mr Williams was rushed to Lister Hospital (pictured) in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, where he underwent surgery to have two stents fitted

‘I don’t know who was sweating more – him or me.

‘We waited at the Lister while he had the stent fitted and within just 40 minutes he was a completely different person.

‘When we arrived he looked like he was about to die, but after the surgery it was like he had just come home from a holiday.

‘I’ve been in this job for 22 years and have never heard of anything like this happening before, and really hope it never happens again.

‘The fact that Jeremy and the patient have both recovered is a testament to the skills and dedication of the team on scene on the day, who worked together brilliantly to manage two very challenging incidents.’

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