A routine afternoon at the MAGEN DAVID ADOM station in Tel Aviv became a lifesaving mission when help was needed just across the street when senior EMT Georgi Avtisian’s quick thinking turned what could have been a tragedy into a heroic rescue.
While working his shift recently, Avtisian was prepared to receive emergency calls through the dispatch system as usual, when all of a sudden, he heard cries for help from an unexpected source, the balcony of a neighboring building.
Avtisian and EMT Zohar Biton rushed out to respond to the urgent shouts. Racing up the building’s stairs, they discovered 61-year-old Menashe unconscious on his apartment floor, without a pulse and not breathing.
“When I heard the screams and looked out the window, I saw someone on the opposite building’s balcony desperately calling for help,” said Avtisian. “Zohar and I ran over, and when we saw Menashe’s condition, we recognized that Menashe had suffered cardiac arrest and needed CPR immediately.”
Avtisian and Biton began performing CPR while administering electric shocks from a defibrillator. A few minutes later, additional teams arrived to assist, including EMTs, paramedics, and Professor Kobi Shaham, director of the cardiac intensive care unit at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov and a volunteer senior ambulance driver with MAGEN DAVID ADOM.
Dr. Shaham dispensed specialized medications while administering six electric shocks. Through these intensive efforts, Menashe’s heart began to beat again.
The dramatic evacuation.
Following the successful resuscitation, the team faced a new challenge: bringing Menashe to the hospital. Menashe’s building’s narrow stairwell prevented them from safely bringing him downstairs to drive him to the hospital.
They called in firefighters equipped with crane equipment who carefully lowered Menashe to street level. From there, he was transported to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov via MICU in critical condition.
After Menashe recovered in the hospital and returned home, he extended an invitation to the team who saved his life so that he could express his gratitude and reflect on the day that gave him a second chance at life.
“I don’t remember almost anything from that day, but from what others have told me, you did everything you could so that I could be sitting here today with my family,” Menashe shared at the happy reunion. “There are no words to express my appreciation and gratitude. Thank you! Please continue doing your good work.”