GAUTENG. – The Volunteer Emergency Medical Response Unit (VEMRU) is urging people with asthma to ensure their inhalers are not empty and to always have a spare inhaler on hand. The warning follows after an asthma patient suffered cardiac arrest on 20 October in Faerie Glen, Pretoria East, and was later pronounced dead at a private hospital. According to VEMRU, the patient's asthma inhaler was found to be empty after the incident.
VEMRU said they were initially called because the patient, who was known to have asthma, was struggling to breathe. A paramedic who was off duty shortly after reported that the patient's heart had stopped and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). VEMRU officials, ER24 and PVES applied advanced cardiac life support, including mechanical chest compressions. Although there was initially marked improvement, the patient was transported with continued CPR to a nearby private hospital. However, the patient's condition deteriorated rapidly shortly after arrival and was pronounced dead.
VEMRU expressed its condolences to the deceased's family and stressed that people with asthma must keep their medication available.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
