Just in time...

I was working my pseudo regular shift the other day with a new partner. I don't know if it is Michigan, the county, the company, me, or EMS in general, but I have worked with a handful of people that just don't talk for 12-24 hours. If it is not related to the call we are on at the moment, I am lucky to get 5 words out of some of these people. Oh well, I guess awkward silence is better than hostile "conversation".
     At any rate, we get a call for a choking in progress that has gone unresponsive in one of the neighboring cities, so off we go priority 1. On the way there we are thinking we are going to be walking into a situation where CPR is in progress or the family has DNR/DNI papers present. However, that was not the case.
     When we walk in, we find three PSOs around the pt providing o2 therapy, have an AED placed, and getting a baseline set of vitals on their pt that is currently lying in the "recovery position". The pt is an elderly female that is probably a GCS of 9-10 at the moment. But with each passing minute, she is increasing her GCS and will eventually be at 15 and a/o x3ish. All the hard work was done by the PSOs on scene. And they did a fantastic job. They saved this woman's life. Now let me paint you a better picture of what happened before we arrived on scene.
     The PSOs received a call for one choking. When they arrived there was a family member that was attempting to do the Heimlich but was not ever successful. The officers tried and the pt became unresponsive. After laying the pt on to the ground they were able to yank out a large wad of pizza and start ventilating the pt with the BVM and some high flow oxygen. They said they bagged her for about a minute or two before she started coming around and breathing on her own. This is a great example of how simple BLS maneuvers can save a life. This "young lady" was very fortunate to have survived such a traumatic ordeal. Kudos to the PSOs and the fantastic job they did in saving this woman's life.
     As I said earlier, they did all the hard work and saved her life. All we did was take her to the hospital. But it was nice to be part of the team. The family was very appreciative and I am happy that they have their "grandma"around for a while longer. We[EMS] always strive to be the hero, unfortunately we usually end up having to be the bearer of bad news. However, this was certainly one we can put in the win column between us and the reaper. The score on the other side is always higher, but it doesn't mean we will ever stop trying. Now on to the next adventure in public safety. Bye for now.