Park Ridge police use LifeVac device to save choking victim at senior facility
According to the Park Ridge Police Department, officers responded Saturday to a senior living facility at 103 Kinderkamack Road for reports of an unresponsive choking victim. Officer Todd Stowe was the first on scene.
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A life-threatening choking emergency in Park Ridge this past weekend was successfully resolved by two police officers, with the help of a medical device that is becoming increasingly common in emergency response.
According to the Park Ridge Police Department, officers responded Saturday to a senior living facility at 103 Kinderkamack Road for reports of an unresponsive choking victim. Officer Todd Stowe was the first on scene.
“One of the staff members there was attempting to do the Heimlich maneuver on the patient. She was seated in a chair,” said Stowe. “But once I got closer, I could see that she had already lost consciousness. And the Heimlich maneuver wasn’t effective, so I decided to bring her down to the floor right away. That’s when we started.”
Stowe moved the victim to the floor and began advanced life-saving efforts as Sgt. Michael Babcock arrived shortly after to assist. Police said the victim was turning gray, had a visible airway obstruction and a weak, shallow pulse.
When standard techniques failed, officers turned to a LifeVac device. A non-powered, portable suction tool designed to clear blocked airways. Stowe applied the device twice, followed by two additional attempts by Babcock.
“You know, things were starting to turn bad. And as soon as we did those couple thrusts, you know, her eyes started to open up. She got coloration back to her skin. She started moving her neck around and being responsive to some more stuff that we were doing to her,” Babcock said.
Emergency medical personnel, including the Tri-Boro Ambulance Corps, arrived shortly afterward and transported the victim to The Valley Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
The LifeVac device works by creating one-way suction to remove obstructions without forcing air into the airway. The devices were placed in every patrol vehicle in Park Ridge last year, and officers have been trained in their use as a secondary option when traditional methods fail.
“Always a good feeling when you can help somebody,” Babcock said.
“Not often that we see a direct result of actions that we take,” Stowe added. “It’s nice to have an immediate response like that and be able to see somebody recover like that, too.”
LifeVac’s are available for public purchase, but the FDA says they should be used as a secondary measure after traditional techniques, like the Heimlich, fail.
