He’s a real doctor. He doesn’t just play one on TV. And while going through a busy international airport this week, he put his training to use and ended up helping save a life.
Talk show host and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz helped resuscitate a 60-year-old man who had collapsed at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey Monday night.
Dr. Oz told ABC’s “Good Morning America” (GMA) about the “miracle” that happened when he turned and suddenly saw the man laying on the floor in a pool of blood.
“I saw this gentleman had face planted basically with a pool of blood under his head where he smacked onto the ground. I ran over, I couldn’t get a pulse, which is the first thing you check for. He wasn’t responsive,” Dr. Oz said.
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The Columbia professor said he rolled the man onto his back and saw he had turned “purple — the color of an eggplant.” The doctor called this a “bad combination” and proceeded to do CPR.
“It’s that soul-zapping moment where you realize you’re losing a life so I started doing CPR which is my training,” Oz continued, noting that nearby officers also “rushed” in to help.
Oz took a moment to explain why chest compressions are so important.
“If the heart’s not beating you’ve got to beat for it which is what the chest compressions do. 100 times a minute, push down at least two inches, simple message, everyone who’s hearing my voice right now can learn how to do that today,” he said.
Unfortunately, the man was foaming at the mouth, which was blocking his airway. Oz said he used a piece of plastic to push down his tongue in order to push air into his lungs. Then a defibrillator was attached to the man’s chest.
Defibrillators are devices that restore a normal heartbeat by sending an electric pulse or shock to the heart. They are used to prevent or correct an arrhythmia, a heartbeat that is uneven or that is too slow or too fast. Defibrillators can also restore the heart’s beating if the heart suddenly stops, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Oz told GMA the next few minutes looked like a scene from a movie.
“It’s that soul-zapping moment when you realize you’re losing a life, so I started doing CPR…” @DrOz describes the measures he took to help a save the life of man having a medical emergency at Newark Airport. https://t.co/U3PvSpo8ek pic.twitter.com/Ez0kAS1YYo
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 3, 2021
“In case you’re intimidated by this it’s not difficult because all you’ve got to do is listen to the machine. It orders you what to do. It diagnosed his heart had stopped… It told us to step away, and Robin, you’ve seen those movies where your patient gets shocked and jerk off the ground. That’s exactly what happened. Unfortunately, usually the heart doesn’t start again, it’s too sick. In this case, like the movies, his heart started. You get goosebumps just seeing this happen,” Oz said.
The man was responsive by the time he was placed in the ambulance, the doctor said.
Calling it “a true miracle,” Oz also praised the police officers for their help.
“He knew he had been at Newark airport, didn’t remember the fall at all. It is a true miracle with the odds heavily against him, but those wonderful cops who again had no direct experience but they had taken classes, they did their homework, and they showed up. They ran towards the problem when there was a need, so God bless them,” he said.
In a statement to Fox News, Oz said anyone can learn these simple steps that can help save a life.
“As a physician and a human being, it’s our responsibility to jump in when there’s a medical emergency. Another critical reminder of how important it is to take the time to learn how to do CPR and use a defibrillator. You could save a life,” he explained.
Oz has also been a Good Samaritan before, giving help to others when they needed it. The news network noted in 2013, the cardiothoracic surgeon helped a man who collapsed during a marathon in Salt Lake City, Utah. That same year, he also came to the aid of a British tourist who had been struck by a cab in New York City.
You can find CPR classes in your local area by contacting the American Red Cross.
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