Heart Attack Victim Saved by TOM Police & Newly Acquired Defibrillator

by Joan R. Simon

(July 22, 2004) Early bird exercisers at the New York Sports Club last Tuesday, July 13, were jolted from their morning routines when fellow club member Joseph Beck descended from the StairMaster and collapsed unconscious onto the floor, a victim of a heart attack. Larchmont mother Kim Larsen, who was exercising next to Mr. Beck, reported, “I ran screaming to the front desk to tell them to call 911.”

Joe Beck, holding the defibrillator, thanks Officer Anthony Hoffmann for helping to save his life.

Two minutes after receiving the call at 6:41 am, Town of Mamaroneck police officer Anthony Hoffmann arrived at the scene with Officer George Valentzas and Lt. Michael Cindrich. According to the police report, Officer Hoffmann attached an automated external defibrillator (AED) to Mr. Beck, who was not breathing, and began rescue breathing, while Lt. Cindrich began CPR. A shock from the AED was then applied. By the time the Volunteer Ambulance Corps (VAC) arrived, Mr. Beck had regained a viable pulse, and the VAC crew transported him to Sound Shore Medical Center.

According to his wife Bonnie, Mr. Beck did not regain consciousness for 26 hours. He was subsequently transferred to Lenox Hill Hospital and released on Thursday, July 22 with a clean bill of health. Mrs. Beck reported: “Joe was without oxygen to his brain, and his heart ceased pumping for four minutes, but he has no damage to the heart, and he didn’t experience any brain damage.” She concluded, "It's a miracle."

Police Chief Richard Rivera said, “The quick response, skill and training of the officers, along with the AED, were instrumental in reviving this patient.” Mrs. Beck couldn’t agree more. She described Officer Hoffmann as “a hero in our family” and said she believed that the fast response of the Town of Mamaroneck police and the availability of an AED “saved my husband’s life.” The unit used was one of four defibrillators purchased six months ago by the Town and placed in patrol cars. Defibrillators are electrical devices used to counteract fibrillation of the heart muscle and restore normal heartbeat by applying a brief electric shock. They are used in conjunction with cardiopulmonary resuscitation ( CPR.)

According to Susan Gerson, spokesperson for the New York Sports Club, “AED’s are not standard and not required, but we will be equipping all of our clubs with defibrillators by the end of the year.” A New York State bill that would require health clubs with 500 or more members to have at least one AED readily available on site has been passed by both the Senate and Assembly and will be sent to Governor George Pataki for his approval. The bill would also require these clubs to have at least one staff member trained to use the AED and perform CPR. Ms. Gerson asserted that currently “all of our managers and trainers have to be certified in CPR.” Large public school districts are already required to deploy AED's and Mamaroneck has a number of them in place. (See: Prepared for Heart Attacks: Schools Deploy Defibrillators, Train Staff)

The American Heart Association has reported that a victim’s chance of survival decreases by 7 to 10 percent for every minute that passes without defibrillation. They have estimated that 250,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest outside of the hospital, and that a quarter of these deaths could have been prevented if a defibrillator was available for immediate use.

Mr. Beck, a principal with Shattuck, Hammond Partners, an investment banking firm in New York City, had just turned 50 the Thursday before the incident and was in excellent shape. A daily exerciser, Mr. Beck had been to his doctor for a complete physical exam two weeks before his heart attack. Doctors discovered that his heart attack had been caused by a 98% blockage of one of his major arteries, a problem identical to one his brother experienced a few years ago. Soon after learning of his brother's arterial blockage, Mr. Beck underwent a thallium stress test, but it revealed no cardiac problems.

Several eyewitnesses at the sports club reported that there was a period of confusion following Mr. Beck’s heart attack, when club attendants tried to find a doctor or nurse in the building. The police report noted that Joanne Shaw, a registered nurse who was taking an exercise class, came to assist Mr. Beck before the police and VAC arrived. “When I walked in he was lying on the ground,” recalled Lehigh College sophomore Cara Weisberger; who noted that the police came shortly thereafter. She added, “It’s not what you want to wake up to at 6:45 in the morning.”