Matthew D. Noble survived five sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) before he was 17, thanks to bystanders who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Born in 1976 with an abnormal heart, Noble now has an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that corrects abnormal rhythms. He also sells the devices in the Great Lakes Bay Region for Boston Scientific.
Noble’s story, told in his 2005 book “One Beat at a Time,” is part of the Michigan CardioVascular Institute Foundation of Saginaw’s campaign to promote CPR and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
These devices, not available when Noble was a youngster, are available in more and more public places for use by laypersons.
The MCVI Foundation, in partnership with former Detroit Red Wings Jiri Fischer's Healthy Hope Foundation, Mobile Medical Response and the Saginaw Spirit, presents the second annual Shocks and Saves charity hockey game Saturday, Feb. 28, to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest.
Fischer’s foundation helps organizations raise money to buy defibrillators for schools, public ice rinks and nonprofit groups. Last year’s game between local doctors and emergency medical personnel raised $30,000 and placed 18 Zoll Medical Corp. units across the region, said Diane Fong, MCVI Foundation director.
“We hope to raise more than $40,000 this year,” she said. “About half would go to buying defibrillators and half to community CPR and AED training.''
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with about half those deaths caused by sudden cardiac arrest.
During cardiac arrest, the heart abruptly stops functioning because of an arrhythmia, a disturbance in the rhythm of one's heartbeat. This prevents the heart from pumping blood to the brain and vital organs. It's an electrical issue.
A '”heart attack” refers to death of heart muscle tissue caused by blockages in the heart's blood vessels that prevent proper blood flow. A heart attack may cause sudden cardiac arrest, but the terms are not synonymous.
About 310,000 people a year die of coronary heart disease without being hospitalized or admitted to an emergency room, most from cardiac arrest. The victim may or may not have diagnosed heart disease.
The American Heart Association calls for a “chain of survival” to rescue people who suffer cardiac arrest. Response should include calling 911, performing immediate CPR and defibrillation.
Brain death starts to occur just four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest. The arrest is reversible in most victims if it's treated within a few minutes with an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat. This process is called defibrillation.
A victim's chances of survival are reduced by 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. CPR can double or triple the chances of survival.
Fischer, the former star defenseman of the Detroit Red Wings and a survivor of sudden cardiac arrest, will skate in the Saginaw game, along with former Red Wings Joey Kocur, Shawn Burr, Dave Lewis and others.
Although no longer able to play in the NHL, Fischer remains with the Red Wings club as its director of player development.
Fischer credits Dr. Anthony Colucci, Red Wings team physician, with saving his life after he collapsed on the bench during a game against the Nashville Predators in 2005. Colucci performed CPR and shocked Fischer’s heart back into a normal rhythm with the use of a defibrillator.
“I think it’s scary to some individuals that you could cause harm, but the machine tells you what to do,” Fong said. “If you put the pads on the person's chest, it evaluates the rhythm and won't shock if it’s not needed.”
The state requires some fitness facilities to have public defibrillators and “Good Samaritan” laws protect users of the devices, she said.
During cardiac arrest, a person loses consciousness, stops normal breathing, has no pulse and loses blood pressure. They need immediate help.
The Lake Huron Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America received a portable device for its Camp Rotary north of Clare after last year’s fundraiser, said Dick Gregory, assistant Scout executive. The council includes Scouts in 19 counties including Saginaw.
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“Our risk committee recommended one for both our camps. We’ve trained 40 staff and more volunteers on using them.”
Noble, 32, talks about his experiences to churches and patient groups all over the country. He had three surgeries at age 5 to fix a hole in his heart, but scar tissue led to the cardiac arrests.
“It was amazing to survive five times. One time I was in our backyard pool and collapsed and my mom’s friend went screaming for help. A woman who was an emergency medical technician heard her and came over. She was driving by the house and her car overheated.
“These are miraculous stories, but these devices are simple to use. You can be the hero who saves a life.”
His ICD is placed under his skin at his shoulder and has thin wires that go into his heart. It monitors his heart rhythm and shocks it back to a normal heartbeat when needed.
“I need it once or twice a year. It’s like getting kicked in the chest by a horse, but it saves my life. Once it happened in the middle of the night when I was asleep. They would have found me dead the next morning without it.”
-The Saginaw News