Avreich saved after cardiac arrest in Jerusalem taxi

United Hatzalah medics saved the life of a 47-year-old chassidic avreich who lost consciousness during a taxi ride on Kiryat Mada Street in Jerusalem on Monday.

The medics performed advanced resuscitation while delivering an electric shock from a defibrillator until his heart resumed beating, and he was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital in serious but stable condition.

Avraham Ahrentroy, Chezki Cohen and Gershon Ganaor, United Hatzalah medics who arrived at the scene, reported: "This was a taxi passenger who lost consciousness. We performed resuscitation on him while delivering an electric shock from a United Hatzalah defibrillator. After his heart resumed beating, he was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital in serious but stable condition. There is no doubt that thanks to the rapid response, his life was saved."

According to information that reached Kikar Hashabbat, the patient was a chassidic avreich traveling as a passenger in the taxi, not the taxi driver himself. The incident joins a series of similar cases in which rapid resuscitation by emergency teams succeeded in saving lives.

In recent weeks, several similar cases have been documented across the country. In Bnei Brak, a construction worker collapsed at a building site on Ezra Street, and in Modiin Illit, a chassan's father collapsed during his son's wedding; in both cases, emergency teams succeeded in restoring the pulse after advanced resuscitation.

Emergency organizations emphasize that the availability of defibrillators in public places and extensive training of volunteer medics are decisive factors in saving lives in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. In the critical first hours, every minute is of vital significance.