Strangers Save Lady Suffering Cardiac Arrest In Bukit Merah, Prove Importance Of CPR

First Aiders Save Lady Who Had Cardiac Arrest Near Bukit Merah Fruit Shop

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a life skill that everyone should learn. While you may never know when you need to use it, you can’t deny how useful it’ll be in an emergency.

2 ladies learnt this recently when they had to apply their first aid knowledge to save a stranger’s life.

Ms Suwono had performed CPR while her friend used an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) before the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedics came to take over.

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Suffice to say, their harmless trip to buy durians that day had become an unforgettable life and death event.

First aiders performed CPR & used an AED

At around 9pm on Sunday (11 Jul), Ms Suwono was having a small durian party with her friend, Ms Annisa, at her home. After enjoying their treat, they decided to purchase another packet from a nearby fruit shop at Jalan Membina.

As they were heading over, they noticed a woman lying on the floor near the fruit shop. Ms Suwono pointed the worrying sight out to Ms Annisa, a doctor, and the latter quickly ran over to check on the lady.

After checking for a pulse, Ms Annisa performed CPR while Ms Suwono checked to see if anyone had called for help.

During this critical moment, Ms Suwono recalled a previous conversation regarding the oddly-placed AED signs around the neighbourhood.

Image for illustration purposes only
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Using this as a guide, she rushed to the nearest AED point and broke the emergency glass, startling a few onlookers who asked if she needed help. She remarked that they could come if they want to, and sprinted back to the fruit shop with the device in hand.

Upon returning to the scene, she managed to open the AED box with the help of a passer-by, who also provided his t-shirt to cover the lady while Ms Annisa administered shocks using the AED. At this point, Ms Suwono had taken over with CPR, since she had experience with it.

Attended to stranger till SCDF arrived

The pair continued to perform CPR and using the AED according to the audio instructions played on the device.

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As they did so, Ms Suwono noticed some inconsistent breathing and the lady’s complexion turning purplish.

Thankfully, the SCDF arrived on the scene and eventually took over after they had set up their equipment. Before handing things over to the paramedics, Ms Suwono noted “irregular pulses” on the electrocardiogram (ECG).

The paramedics subsequently took the lady to the hospital for thorough medical attention.

Later, Ms Suwono and Ms Annisa answered questions from officers, alongside the lady’s brother who turned out to have been nearby the whole time.

Apparently, the 2 had visited the clinic near the fruit shop as the lady was down with a fever. The brother went for a toilet break and came back out to find his sister already unconscious.

After checking with the clinic doctor to confirm that there were no Covid-19-related concerns, Ms Suwono and Ms Annisa resumed their initial plan of buying durians.

Despite witnessing the entire ordeal, Ms Suwono jokingly expressed her disappointment when the fruit shop owner didn’t offer a discount. The seller did, however, praise them for their efforts.

Hope the lady is safe & well

We hope the lady who suffered the cardiac arrest is safe and well.

Kudos to Ms Suwono and Ms Annisa for their quick thinking and decisiveness in the situation.

If there’s anything that this incident proves to the rest of us, it’s the importance of having first aid and CPR knowledge. Thanks to that, the pair were able to save a stranger’s life.

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Featured image adapted from Challenge.