A 50-year-old Israeli man collapsed during a video call with his sister in New York. She immediately called a friend in Israel, who then called MDA’s 101 Emergency Number. MDA EMTs and paramedics responded quickly to the incident. Following their assessment, they determined that he had suffered a heart attack, provided life-saving treatment and stabilized his condition.

This story could have had a tragic ending, had this man’s sister not understood that despite the distance, she could have his life despite the fact that she was in New York. The siblings were on a video call, when she understood that he had collapsed due to an issue with his heart, and immediately called a friend who called MDA.

MDA teams quickly entered the apartment with the help of fire fighters. MDA paramedic Naomi Tzvi, senior EMTs David Weimfheimer and Doron Salimi immediately began their assessment and determined that he had suffered a severe heart attack. They immediately began advanced life support measures including medications until his condition stabilized and he regained consciousness. Only then was he evacuated to Wolfson Hospital in an MDA MICU.

*MDA Paramedic Naomi Tzvi: “we received a report from MDA dispatch for a man who had collapsed and was unresponsive in his apartment in Bat Yam. Upon arriving, we attempted to enter the locked apartment, while MDA dispatch contacted Israel Fire and the Police, who then forced entry.

“When we entered the apartment, we saw a light on in the bedroom and we entered the room. In the bed, we found a man who was semi-conscious, and his sister was still on the video call. She provided us with details of the incident, and we assessed the patient who was found to be suffering from a severe heart attack. We provided advanced medical treatment and simultaneously reported to the cardiac intensive care unit. After several moments, his condition stabilized, and he regained consciousness. Only then did we evacuate him to Wolfson Hospital, where doctors were waiting for him.”

Reflecting on the incident, Tzvi said: “I’ve been a paramedic in MDA for many years and never have I seen such an incident. His life was saved by his sister, half a world away.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)