ER Nurse Saves Life of Woman Who Suffered Cardiac Arrest Underwater at Swimming Pool

An emergency room nurse visiting a swimming pool has helped save the life of a citizen who collapsed and lost consciousness due to cardiac arrest while swimming.

According to Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital today (August 28), Jung Eun-ah, a nurse at the hospital's Regional Emergency Medical Center, witnessed a woman in her 50s surnamed Kim lose consciousness underwater during a swimming lesson at the Uiwang National Sports Center in Gyeonggi Province on the 14th.

At the time, a swimming instructor and a lifeguard moved Kim out of the water and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Nurse Jung, who was waiting for her swimming lesson, immediately joined in and continued the emergency treatment.

Kim's face had turned pale and she was breathing abnormally with gasps. She was unresponsive and unable to make eye contact while chest compressions were being administered.

Drawing on her regular emergency room experience, Nurse Jung checked Kim's consciousness and breathing status while continuing CPR with chest compressions for about seven minutes.

When Kim vomited, Nurse Jung turned her head to the side to secure her airway and continued CPR using a defibrillator.

Upon checking the pulse, spontaneous circulation was confirmed to have returned.

When the 119 emergency rescue team arrived, Nurse Jung helped paramedics check the patient's condition and handed over the situation regarding the CPR performed.

Kim was transported to Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital's Regional Emergency Medical Center, located near the sports center, for treatment.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Kim had largely regained consciousness and was discharged in good health after completing treatment.

A few days after being discharged, Kim visited the hospital to express her gratitude to Nurse Jung.

Nurse Jung joined the Regional Emergency Medical Center at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in 2021 and has worked in the emergency room for over five years. She currently works as a clinical support nurse within the emergency medical center.

She holds a Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) certification and has also completed the Korean Advanced Life Support Provider (KALS EP) course.

She said, "Initial response can determine a patient's prognosis in an emergency situation, so at the time, thinking only that I had to save a life, I promptly performed emergency measures," adding, "I will continue to do my best to fulfill my role as a medical professional if an urgent situation arises outside the hospital."

(Photo: Provided by Yonhap News / Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.