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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director)
In a small village in the North of France, a teacher found the resources necessary to save the life of Maxime, 9 years old, who suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of class. Thanks to his actions, the child is safe today.
A teacher who literally saves the life of a student is not common. However, this is what happened to Sylvie, a CM2 teacher at the Pasteur school in Camphin-en-Pévèle (North), when she found herself confronted with the collapse of Maxime, 9 years old, victim of a cardiac arrest, according to information from the Voice of the North.
“Madame, Maxime has fallen”
The events occurred on November 21, 2023. A few days earlier, Maxime’s mother warned the school: the child had a heart murmur which caused electrical shocks, and had to see a cardiologist 3 weeks later.
But that day, shortly before lunch break, the teacher who was erasing her board heard the cry of a student. “Madam, he fell.” Maxime is on the ground and no longer reacts. Sylvie, aware of what is happening, remembers today that she then went into “robot mode.
Gestures carried out urgently on the classroom floor
Forgetting the rest of her class, Sylvie dials 18 so that the firefighters can tell her what to do. Maxime has purple lips, a sign that you need to move on to a heart massage emergency. But this soon-to-be-retired teacher’s first aid lessons date back to when she was 18. “Put your hands between her two breasts, then five centimeters below, massage counting one, two, one, two… “ the rescuers respond. Sylvie does so, but little by little feels Maxime leaving. Refusing the tragic end (especially since the distraught mother has arrived in the meantime), she continues her efforts. Until, fortunately, Maxime breathes again.
Maxime saved by his mistress
From there, everything happened: help arrived on site and Maxime was quickly transported by helicopter to the Coeur Lung Institute in Lille. Sylvie is not reassured: will her student get through it, will he have any after-effects? She received a response the next day. Maxime is saved. For now, he is gradually resuming his life, simply being exempt from sports and recreation, still in Sylvie’s class.
Although cardiac arrest is extremely rare in a child, it is, however, very dangerous when first aid is not provided. “We survive in 5 to 10% of cases”figure Guy Vaskmann, cardio pediatrician at Louvière hospital (Lille) interviewed by The Parisian. In this case, it is important to begin resuscitation even before help arrives.
“You should not waste a minute to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The role of witnesses is therefore essential to recognize cardiac arrest, call for help and perform cardiac massage. confirms Doctor Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo. “We can guide remotely, by telephone, giving massage instructions while help arrives. People are often afraid of doing something wrong (breaking ribs, etc.), yet you have to act, you can save a life!”
To learn the right actions when dealing with domestic accidents that could threaten your children, first aid training sessions exist, particularly from the Red Cross, but also training exclusively for children and infants.