Man's life saved at softball field

The reason George Hawranik survived September 12 has been credited to one device and the quick action of two men. He acknowledged that fact himself.

"I have no doubt I would have been dead," said Hawranik.

The late afternoon of that day was just like many others in the past year. Hawranik, 63, reported to Falbrook’s Ingold Field just before 4 p.m. to play catcher in a game with his senior men’s softball team. The senior league is for men over the age of 50.

After the first inning closed, about 4:30 p.m., Hawranik was returning to his defensive position at home plate when he began to feel dizzy.

"I took two or three steps and knew I was going to pass out," said Hawranik. "I grabbed onto one of the other team’s players, Dean Stewart, and lost consciousness."

The players on both teams rolled into emergency mode, with opposing team player Marc Rudich and Hawranik’s teammate Bob Gillis taking charge. Rudich, a retired cardiovascular surgeon, and Gillis, a retired firefighter/paramedic of 34 years, were well qualified to take the lead.

"I was concerned for George, but I just went into the mode that I lived and was trained for; it was just natural for me," said Gillis. "[Rudich and I] worked really well together as a team."

Gillis began CPR chest compressions right away, Rudich performed the ventilation application, and other players brought the AED device installed at the site to the scene immediately, while a call went out to 911.

"They said they had the AED on me within 30 seconds and [Gillis] revived me two times," said Hawranik. "[Rudich and Gillis] also gave me CPR for a full 13 minutes until the paramedics arrived." Hawranik said he considered the paramedic response time by North County Fire to be “reasonable,” but said if he had not been assisted by the others in the wait time, "it would have been way too late."

"At first there was no pulse at all," said Gillis. "After the first shock, his pulse came back, and then went away, then [the AED device] indicated we should administer another shock. Then, the fire department arrived. The paramedics were very professional; and continued the effort. They were flawless in their handling of his situation."

North County Fire emergency responders at the scene were Captain Keith McReynolds, Engineer Tom Harrington, Firefighter Danny Sahagun, and Firefighter/Paramedic Rob Hagar.

Division Chief Stephen Abbott said Hawranik "remained in cardiac arrest the whole time he was in en route to the hospital" and that the paramedics "followed advanced cardiac life support protocol, which included administering a medication, intubation (creating an airway), defibrillation, and the use of one of the new Autopulse devices." North County Fire was able to purchase two of these new Autopulse devices as a result of funds supplied by the Fallbrook Healthcare District.

"The Autopulse device is fantastic," said Abbott. "It applies external cardiac chest compressions and is 33 percent more efficient than normal CPR. Autopulse is near 100 percent as a normal heartbeat."

Abbott agreed with Hawranik. Without the assistance he received from his fellow players, things could have turned out gravely different.

"Really what saved the day were the bystanders using the AED device and doing CPR; without those, his chances would have been far worse," said Abbott.

Once Hawranik was loaded up by the paramedics, Gillis began the process of locating a phone number for the man’s wife, Chris, to let her know what had happened. It was not an easy task as the couple had recently moved to a different home.

"Bob went to our old house, but we had moved two months before, so he got some information from an old neighbor," he said. "She got to Fallbrook Hospital quickly."

Hawranik said when they got him to the local hospital, doctors were concerned he may have sustained brain damage from a lack of oxygen, but it was proved that the 13-minute sustained CPR by Rudich was successful in preventing that.

After he was stabilized at the Fallbrook Hospital emergency room, the paramedics transported Hawranik to a helicopter landing zone to be airlifted to Palomar Hospital.

"After I passed out at the ballfield, the next thing I remember is coming to [consciousness] for four or five seconds and hearing the blades of a helicopter," he said.

"They did an angiogram on me at Palomar and planned to do an angioplasty procedure, but said they didn’t have some of the special tools they needed for my case, so as soon as I was stable enough, I would be sent to Scripps Green in La Jolla," said Hawranik. "They put a balloon pump in my leg to keep my heart rhythm up." Hawranik was at Palomar a few days before he was sent to Scripps where he had angioplasty and a stent implanted.

Hawranik had a quintuple heart bypass surgery 17 years ago.

"The arteries had pretty much sealed up; they were blocked," he said. "And the remaining main artery coming out of my heart was almost totally blocked."

Until September 12, Hawranik had not experienced any indicators that anything was wrong.

"I had been playing softball for a year and feeling really good," he said. "[Heart disease] really is a silent killer."

These days, Hawranik said, he is doing well, but still recovering from his ordeal.

"I have a few more tests to go through, but my understanding is that I’ll be better very soon," he said. "I just need to be careful and follow the guidelines. If I get another 17 years out of this latest procedure, I’ll be good." And soon he will be able to begin a formalized cardiac rehabilitation program.

Hawranik also said he has great appreciation for the value of the AED devices installed at various locations throughout the community.

"I believe all community places, churches, and more should be equipped with these devices," he said. Currently there are about 40 AEDs installed in the Fallbrook community.

Abbott is in agreement.

"With bystander CPR alone, your chances of survival are only about 20 percent," explained Abbott. "When you couple that with the use of an AED, your chances go up to about 50 percent. That’s based upon national data in areas where they have aggressive CPR and AED programs."

"Working as a medic all those years, I learned that the chances of saving someone in full [cardiac] arrest aren’t all that great," noted Gillis.

The problem, Abbott said, is securing funding to purchase more of the devices.

"Due to budget restraints in the fire department, there are no funds available for them right now and we have purchased as many as we can at this time with the grant money we have applied for and received in the past," said Abbott. "Some businesses, however, have purchased their own."

Abbott, who also serves on the governing board of the Fallbrook Healthcare District, said grant funds are getting more and more difficult to secure.

"The Fallbrook Healthcare District has been a really strong supporter of the program over the years, but like with anything, the demands for its grant dollars are becoming more competitive," he said.

While some individuals have expressed fear at the idea of utilizing an AED device on someone, Abbott said they should be confident and positive.

"<An AED> is no harder to use than a fire extinguisher," he explained. "In fact, that’s the reason we’ve placed them the way we have – in cabinets – in public view."

"To use an AED, you simply turn on the device," said Abbott. "It will tell you what to do (audio instruction). It will tell you how quick to do CPR, when to quit and check the person’s pulse, and when to deliver a shock. And when it comes to CPR, all you have to do is press hard and fast on the chest. It is recommended that one not start mouth-to-mouth for four minutes. Just do the chest compressions."

But Abbott knows many people are afraid they will do something wrong.

"There is a lot of fear about accidentally killing someone by delivering an unnecessary shock," said Abbott. "The devices are designed such that it is impossible to deliver a shock unless the person needs a shock, and it’s also impossible for the rescuer to be shocked, even if they are touching the patient. There is a sensor that detects that." Without bystander assistance the outlook is grim, he said.

"Rest assured that if nothing is done, the person has almost no chance of survival," said Abbot. "Without bystander CPR and an AED device, a person’s chances are less than five percent."

Before the softball field received its AED device, a mere year and a half ago, a man’s life was lost.

"We had a player that had a massive heart attack and died," said Don McDougal, manager of the team Hawranik plays on. "We did not have an AED device at the time and there wasn’t anything we could do until the fire department got there. Now we have a device on site and it saved our guy’s life."

McDougal has witnessed the scenario play out both ways and is adamant about his support of the devices.

"I am a true believer," he said.

Gillis said the man who suffered the fatal heart attack last year was Bob Christiansen.

"I was <at the ball field at that time> as well," said Gillis. "Unfortunately the outcome wasn’t as good. We did not have the AED for the league then. I like to think that the result of Bob’s situation is the reason George is alive today, because after that took place, the installation of that device became more important than ever."

Mc Dougal said when Hawranik went into cardiac arrest September 12, everyone on the field played a part in trying to achieve a positive outcome.

"Everyone tried to help out in some way – some got the AED, others got something to elevate George’s head, and others went out to direct the paramedics in," he explained. "Everybody did a great job."

Abbott felt the same.

"Clearly this whole thing was a team effort," he said.

Gillis said when he arrived at Fallbrook Hospital and heard that George was talking in the emergency room, he was "just elated."

"George’s son was there with his two grandchildren and I thought, 'How great, George is going to be able to watch [his grandchildren] grow up, and they will be able to have their Grandpa,'" said Gillis.