Sri Lankan CEO saves life at 34,000 feet

While on a return flight from a conference on emergency medical services in Malaysia, the CEO of Falck in Sri Lanka, Donnie Woodyard Jr., had the unique opportunity of reviving a fellow passenger who went into sudden cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. The Malaysian Airlines flight on 7 February from Kuala Lumpur to Colombo had been quite uneventful until it was just one hour away from Colombo, when the elderly passenger stopped breathing and collapsed.

Recounting his experience, Donnie Woodyard stated: “I noticed the elderly lady seated next to me shaking her husband in an attempt to wake him up. Although the cabin was dark and most passengers were sleeping, at my first look it was obvious he was suffering a major medical emergency.”  While the elderly gentleman’s wife sought assistance from the airline crew, Woodyard immediately started Cardio-Pulmonary-Resuscitation (CPR). In addition to being the CEO and founder of Falck’s recently launched emergency medical services in Sri Lanka, he is also has nearly 20 years of experience in emergency medicine as a critical care paramedic and advanced cardiac life support instructor.

“When I laid the man across the plane’s seats, he was unconscious with agonal breathing (occasional, shallow breaths not compatible with life) and no pulse. He was clinically dead and in cardiac arrest. After a minute of CPR, I noticed a grimace come on the man’s previously lifeless body and his hand move,” Woodyard said.

During the remainder of the flight, Woodyard continued to stabilise and treat the patient with oxygen and IV fluids from the on-board medical kit. “The flight crew was fantastic and the flight attendant assisting me with the medical kit was very professional. It was like working with a well-trained EMT or nurse.”

“When the flight landed in Colombo,” according to Falck’s Chief Operating Officer, Brigadier L.C. Perera, who was also on the flight and assisted with the resuscitation, “the patient was fully conscious and talking.”

Just before the man and his wife were handed over to the awaiting ground medical staff, Woodyard recounts: “The patient’s wife thanked me for saving her husband’s life and asked me if I was visiting Sri Lanka on a holiday. When I told her I was actually the CEO of a new international emergency medical company in Sri Lanka, she exclaimed, “God was looking after us on this flight, thank you.

 According to the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health statistics, one in three deaths in Sri Lanka are related to heart disease and globally sudden cardiac arrest claims a person’s life every five seconds. Only 1% of people survive out of hospital cardiac arrest, however, when early CPR is combined with defibrillation and rapid pre-hospital care, the American Heart Association estimates the chance of survival can increase to 40%. For this gentleman, Woodyard is certain: “Early CPR and early advance life support made the difference between life and death.”

Falck is the largest multinational ambulance services provider globally with over 2,000 ambulances caring for four million emergency calls each year. Since its formation 1906 as a rescue service in Denmark, Falck has developed business activities in 35 countries on five continents. Falck’s activities are based on the core premise of ‘People helping people’.  In Sri Lanka, on 10 January 2013 Falck launched a membership based, comprehensive emergency medical service system starting in the Colombo area providing international standard, professional emergency ambulances, 24-hour doctor for home and office urgent care, and nation-wide air medical evacuation services.

Mobile telecom providers like Dialog, Etisalat and Mobitel in Sri Lanka have partnered in the lifesaving mission and allow registration for emergency medical services through their respective networks by sending an SMS to 1990 with the letters REG. Members access emergency medical services by calling 1990 in their time of need. More information about Falck Sri Lanka can be found on their website www.falck.lk.