Re: What is the most tragic thing you\'ve ever had to deal with
For what it's worth, even if you had known how to call 911 the chances of your father surviving were likely very low.
From the time someone goes down, you've got about 5 minutes to restore cerebral perfusion (oxygen) to prevent brain damage, maybe 10 minutes to prevent brain death. The chances of paramedics responding that quickly to a 911 call are, to be generous, remote - they'd basically have to be parked outside your house.
Even IF you get that fast a response, the survival rate for true cardiac arrests is low - I'll see maybe one or two a year out of our department.
MM MD
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