'Every second counts': CPR-trained clubgoer who saved collapsed man at Zouk urges others to act

A night out at Zouk took an unexpected turn when a man suddenly collapsed , prompting a fellow clubgoer to step forward and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until help arrived.

Despite the party continuing around him, the man who stepped in, who wanted to be known only as Charlie, 49, said he instinctively responded after noticing that something was amiss.

Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (Sept 24), Charlie, who works at Samaritans of Singapore, said the incident occurred in the early hours of Sept 19.

"At around 2.30am, when I was planning to leave shortly, I noticed a commotion some distance away. People seemed to be standing around, so I thought maybe somebody got drunk," he said.

Although Charlie said he did not pay much attention at first, he decided to act after being informed that the man had a heart condition and called for an ambulance.

"If he has a heart condition, we better do something urgent. Everyone was just standing around, not doing anything," he recalled.

'I knew it could be cardiac arrest'

Charlie, who is trained in CPR, then assessed the situation and checked whether the man was breathing.

Although it was difficult to assess him as the club was noisy and dimly lit, Charlie said he could tell that the man was not breathing normally.

"There was no air from his nose and mouth, (and his) stomach was also not rising," he said.

Believing that the man could be experiencing cardiac arrest, Charlie immediately instructed those around him to retrieve an automated external defibrillator, before performing chest compressions for around 20 minutes alongside a Zouk security officer.

After several rounds of compressions, Charlie noticed that the man appeared to start breathing again before paramedics arrived to take over.

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to an incident at 3C River Valley Road on Sept 19 at around 2.35am.

SCDF added that one person was taken to Singapore General Hospital.

Music allegedly continued while CPR was performed

Throughout the ordeal, Charlie noted that the club remained open and the music continued playing.

"It was very noisy (and) only a small group of people was aware of what was going on," he said.

"Not many people may have realised the seriousness of the situation and could have assumed that the man was simply drunk."

Reflecting on the incident, Charlie said people with CPR or first-aid training should not hesitate to step forward during emergencies, as their actions could potentially save a life.

"This is why it is important for people who know CPR or first aid to step forward when necessary. They tend to freeze (and) not do anything," he said.

"People are afraid they might hurt (others)... but if you don't do anything, the person might die. Every minute and second counts... so we need people to step forward."

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

在 Zouk 夜总会消遣时，一名男子突然倒地，引发了一场意想不到的变故。一位同场的顾客挺身而出，对他进行了心肺复苏术 (CPR)，直到救援人员赶到。

尽管周围的聚会仍在继续，但这位自称查理（49岁）的男子挺身而出，表示他注意到有些不对劲后，本能地做出了反应。

周四（9 月 24 日），在新加坡撒玛利亚会工作的查理在接受 AsiaOne 采访时表示，这起事件发生在 9 月 19 日凌晨。

“凌晨2点半左右，我正准备离开的时候，注意到远处有一阵骚动。好像有人站在那里，所以我以为可能是有人喝醉了，”他说。

查理说，虽然他一开始并没有太在意，但在得知该男子患有心脏病后，他决定采取行动，并叫了救护车。

“如果他有心脏病，我们最好采取紧急措施。当时大家都只是站在那里，什么也没做，”他回忆道。

“我知道可能是心脏骤停。”

接受过心肺复苏术训练的查理随后评估了情况，并检查了该男子是否还有呼吸。

虽然俱乐部里嘈杂昏暗，很难判断他的情况，但查理说他能看出那名男子的呼吸不正常。

他说：“他的鼻子和嘴巴都无法呼吸，肚子也没有起伏。”

查理认为这名男子可能心脏骤停，立即指示周围的人去取自动体外除颤器，然后与一名 Zouk 保安人员一起进行了大约 20 分钟的胸外按压。

经过几轮胸外按压后，查理注意到，在医护人员赶到接手之前，这名男子似乎又开始呼吸了。

新加坡民防部队（SCDF）在回应AsiaOne的询问时表示，他们于9月19日凌晨2点35分左右接到报警，称里弗谷路3C号发生了一起事件。

新加坡民防部队补充说，其中一人被送往新加坡中央医院。

据称，在进行心肺复苏术期间，音乐仍在继续播放。

在整个过程中，查理注意到俱乐部仍然营业，音乐也继续播放。

他说：“当时非常吵闹，只有一小群人知道发生了什么事。”

“可能很多人并没有意识到情况的严重性，反而会认为这个人只是喝醉了。”

查理在反思这起事件时表示，接受过心肺复苏或急救培训的人在紧急情况下不应犹豫挺身而出，因为他们的行动有可能挽救生命。

“这就是为什么懂得心肺复苏或急救知识的人在必要时挺身而出非常重要的原因。他们往往会不知所措，什么也不做，”他说。

“人们害怕自己会伤害到别人……但如果你什么都不做，那个人可能会死。每一分每一秒都很重要……所以我们需要有人挺身而出。”

邢莹.koh@asiaone.com