Celebration to Be Held for Cardiac Arrest Save

GREENVILLE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

On Thursday, November 8, 2012, a celebration will be held to recognize individuals responsible for saving the life of a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. The event will be held at Hunt Regional Medical Center in Greenville, Texas, at 2:00 p.m. Media is encouraged to attend. Greenville Mayor Steve Reid will present a special proclamation to rescue personnel, hospital staff and bystanders who performed CPR and called 9-1-1.

On Friday, July 27, 2012, David Linder was bowling and hanging out with his friends when he collapsed and his heart suddenly stopped. David's friends called 9-1-1 and began performing CPR. American Medical Response (AMR) and the Greenville Fire Department arrived and took over life-saving efforts. Linder was transported to Hunt Regional Medical Center by AMR with assistance from fire department crew members. Upon arrival at the hospital, Linder became the first patient in Hunt County to receive a new life-saving technique called therapeutic hypothermia. Linder was admitted to ICU, and three days later was transported to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

Due to the life saving efforts performed by his friends, rescue workers and hospital staff, Linder is alive and well today. Linder's survival is attributed to the quick actions of his friends, the rapid response of the emergency medical services team, and the innovative treatment provided by hospital staff.

Cardiac arrest and other conditions that profoundly reduce the delivery of oxygen to cells often cause permanent damage, especially to the brain. The therapeutic hypothermia treatment given to Linder lowers a patient's body temperature in order to help reduce cell damage following a period of insufficient blood flow caused by cardiac arrest. Studies have demonstrated that cardiac arrest patients that receive this treatment have less neurologic damage after recovery.

Individuals receiving recognition are: Linder's friends Ashley Scott, George Kimberlin, Tyrene Williams and Laura Priest. AMR personnel receiving recognition are Paramedics John Bowles, Jimmy Johnson, Mitch Kanter and EMT Craig Gentry. Greenville Fire Department crew members Terry Clark, Craig Himes and Colby Estes, and Hunt Regional Medical Center ER and ICU staff are also receiving recognition.

American Medical Response Inc. (www.amr.net), America's leading provider of medical transportation, provides services in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 17,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs, RNs and other professionals, with a fleet of 4,500 vehicles, transport more than three million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non-emergency situations. AMR, a subsidiary of Emergency Medical Services Corporation, is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo.