The Life You Save May Be One of Your Own

     On December 3, 2006, 56-year-old Jim Trundy, a volunteer fire chief in Hebron, ME, and full time EMT-I in Norway, ME, responded to a structure fire in a neighboring community. At that time United did not routinely provide fire coverage to this community, but on this day was asked to do so. Toby Martin and Blaine Bacon were United's responding paramedics. While walking to the fire command center to report in, they heard firefighters calling for help: Chief Trundy had collapsed. Their initial assessment showed he was in full cardiac arrest. But Trundy was in the right place at the right time.

     Because United was already on scene, paramedic intervention was almost instantaneous. Within minutes of initial assessment, Trundy was defibrillated twice, moving from v-fib to asystole and back. With CPR and basic airway support provided, the crew was getting ready to intubate when surprisingly, after the second defibrillation, Trundy started to regain consciousness. He woke up enough to ask what happened and say, "I feel like I was run over by a Mack truck."

     As IVs were started, Martin, the attending paramedic, ran a 12-lead EKG that showed ST elevation in both the lateral and anterior leads. Using United's 12-lead EKG STEMI protocol, Martin activated the cath lab at Central Maine Medical Center. Due to the patient's location, they decided the fastest way to get him there would be by air, so they simultaneously activated LifeFlight of Maine. United transported Trundy to the landing zone, where he was picked up by LifeFlight.

     From the time Trundy collapsed at the fire scene, his delivery to the helicopter took 27 minutes. Fifteen minutes later, he landed at CMMC and went directly to the cath lab. Catheterization showed an acutely occluded left anterior descending artery, which was quickly opened by PCI—door-to-balloon time, 20 minutes. The total time, then, from Trundy's cardiac arrest to resolution in the cath lab was 62 minutes! Trundy was discharged three days later with no neurological compromise and returned to work within three weeks.

     Understandably, after his event, Trundy decided it might be a good idea if his department had an AED available. In November 2007, through a donation by Central Maine Medical Center, Trundy received an AED for his department.