A 17-year-old died on Sunday after two days in the ICU at Hippokratio General Hospital in Thessaloniki, following s cardiac arrest he suffered outside his school in Pefkochori, Halkidiki, northern Greece.
The incident occurred on Friday morning when the 17-year-old collapsed. School staff immediately alerted Greece’s National Emergency Medical Care Center, as well as private doctor in the village.
It was determined that the student was not breathing and was in cardiac arrest. A defibrillator was used immediately and detected a shockable heart rhythm, prompting the first defibrillation, while cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) continued until the ambulance arrived. During the resuscitation effort, the 17-year-old initially regained a heartbeat, but then suffered another cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts continued inside the ambulance by EMTs and the doctor.
With the assistance of a police patrol car that cleared the way, the student was taken to the Kassandreia Health Center, while CPR and defibrillation continued on the way. The resuscitation effort lasted about 50 minutes in total, at the school, in the ambulance and at the health center, with seven defibrillations performed altogether.
The teenager was then transferred to Hippokratio General Hospital in Thessaloniki, where he remained hospitalized for more than 24 hours in critical condition in the Coronary Care Unit. Despite doctors’ efforts to keep him alive, the 17-year-old died Sunday morning.
