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ECDS PRESS RELEASES - 2006
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pdf - 70.7 KB - 03/09/07 - 190
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St. Joe's Physician Helps Save Life on Flight From Boston to Phoenix
(Phoenix, AZ; October 26, 2006) – As a cardiovascular surgeon, Brian deGuzman, M.D., is no stranger to treating patients in exam and operating rooms, but he’s just recently put his expertise into action while traveling thousands of feet in the air. On the evening of Oct. 23, Dr. deGuzman and his wife, Keri, helped save a fellow airline passenger who went into cardiac respiratory arrest.
“We were about 35 to 40 minutes into our flight from Boston to Phoenix when the passenger had an asthmatic attack. She went into respiratory arrest ¾ she was unconscious, not breathing and had no heart beat,” says deGuzman. With the help of an Arizona law enforcement official and a flight attendant, the deGuzmans moved the patient to the galley and worked with what little equipment was available. They secured an open airway, created an IV and administered advanced cardiac life support. Realizing the grave situation the passenger was in, Dr. deGuzman requested that the pilots land the plane. The four continued to provide care to the passenger and breathed for her while the JetBlue crew flew back to Boston. Upon landing, a proper breathing tube was inserted into the patient and she was taken to the hospital.
“I’m very happy that all four of us where on board,” says deGuzman. “There was so much to be done in such an extraordinary setting that it took a team of people to provide her the care she needed to get through this.”
Dr. deGuzman recently joined the Heart & Lung Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital as associate chief of Cardiovascular Surgery. Keri deGuzman, a pediatric cardiac intensive care nurse, had initially hesitated in taking the flight back to Phoenix because she wanted to complete all the tasks associated with moving.
“This is the fourth time that Keri and I have put our medical training to use while traveling, but we’ve never had to use our skills in the air or under such dramatic circumstances,” says deGuzman. “Thankfully, we were in the right place at the right time.”
ABOUT ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER
Located in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is a 536-bed, not-forprofit hospital that provides a wide range of health, social and support services, with special advocacy for the poor and underserved. Founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph's was the first hospital in the Phoenix area. The hospital is part of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), one of the largest healthcare systems in the West with 41 hospitals in Arizona, California and Nevada. |
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