thedrifter
02-28-08, 12:37 PM
Woman thanks saviors for quick care
By: PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON -- Gratitude brought Cecilia Showman and her family to Camp Pendleton Wednesday.
"I needed to thank the people that saved me," Showman said, minutes after hugging two of the three Navy hospital corpsmen whose quick work helped her survive the sudden cardiac arrest she suffered at a Vista sushi restaurant on Dec. 14.
Showman, 33, said she was eating dinner with her 8-year-old daughter, Megan, when her heart suddenly stopped beating. Nearby sat three corpsmen, two of them recently returned from Iraq. Corpsman Third Class Margaret Reusi said Wednesday that the noise coming from the nearby table told her something was wrong.
"We heard the dishes fall and then we heard a little girl calling for help," Reusi said. "We just went over there and started CPR."
Chest compressions started Showman's heart beating again; she had a pulse by the time Vista paramedics arrived. Vista Capt. Joe Napier, who responded to the call, said the patient's heart stopped again shortly after he arrived and had to be shocked back into action with an portable electronic defibrillator. Though the timely shock worked, Showman slipped into a coma as the ambulance crew rushed her to the nearest emergency room at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside.
Dr. Robert Orr, Showman's cardiologist, said emergency room doctors noticed Showman was in a coma and decided to induce hypothermia, a new technique gaining traction in hospitals throughout the United States. Doctors and nurses draped Showman with cooling blankets, forcing her core body temperature to drop to between 89.6 and 93.2 degrees, far below the average normal temperature of 98.6.
Orr said hypothermia treatment has been observed to decrease the amount of damage that patients receive when blood stops flowing to their brains in an event like a heart attack.
"Studies have shown that it slows the metabolism down and there is less brain damage," Orr said.
Orr said doctors call Showman's heart condition "sudden cardiac death" because the heart stops completely rather than adopting an abnormal or weak rhythm. He said a viral infection likely caused the problem.
After six days in a coma, Showman woke up with her intellect intact and immediately set about thanking those who saved her life. Orr and the Tri-City nurses came first.
"I just got excellent care and I wanted them to know that," she said.
Showman headed north Wednesday to thank corpsman Reusi and Hospitalman William Vega at the headquarters of the 1st Medical Battalion located in the sprawling 22 Area of Camp Pendleton. Hospital Corpsman Marvin Flores --- the third military medic in the restaurant -- was unable to attend due to a training conflict.
Vega and Reusi, ages 22 and 21 respectively, seemed stunned to receive so much attention for their efforts. Though Showman, their commanding officer and Vista paramedics called them heroes, the pair said they were not so sure they deserved the honor.
"I think anyone with the ability would be able to do what we have done," Reusi said.
"We just do what we have to do," Vega added.
Dr. Orr said he was convinced that the quick action of the corpsmen did more than simply assist with Showman's recovery.
"The Navy Corpsmen saved her life," Orr said. "The fact that she had them right there was extremely lucky."
All three corpsmen received Navy and Marine Corps achievement medals for their performance.
-- Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com.
Ellie
By: PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON -- Gratitude brought Cecilia Showman and her family to Camp Pendleton Wednesday.
"I needed to thank the people that saved me," Showman said, minutes after hugging two of the three Navy hospital corpsmen whose quick work helped her survive the sudden cardiac arrest she suffered at a Vista sushi restaurant on Dec. 14.
Showman, 33, said she was eating dinner with her 8-year-old daughter, Megan, when her heart suddenly stopped beating. Nearby sat three corpsmen, two of them recently returned from Iraq. Corpsman Third Class Margaret Reusi said Wednesday that the noise coming from the nearby table told her something was wrong.
"We heard the dishes fall and then we heard a little girl calling for help," Reusi said. "We just went over there and started CPR."
Chest compressions started Showman's heart beating again; she had a pulse by the time Vista paramedics arrived. Vista Capt. Joe Napier, who responded to the call, said the patient's heart stopped again shortly after he arrived and had to be shocked back into action with an portable electronic defibrillator. Though the timely shock worked, Showman slipped into a coma as the ambulance crew rushed her to the nearest emergency room at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside.
Dr. Robert Orr, Showman's cardiologist, said emergency room doctors noticed Showman was in a coma and decided to induce hypothermia, a new technique gaining traction in hospitals throughout the United States. Doctors and nurses draped Showman with cooling blankets, forcing her core body temperature to drop to between 89.6 and 93.2 degrees, far below the average normal temperature of 98.6.
Orr said hypothermia treatment has been observed to decrease the amount of damage that patients receive when blood stops flowing to their brains in an event like a heart attack.
"Studies have shown that it slows the metabolism down and there is less brain damage," Orr said.
Orr said doctors call Showman's heart condition "sudden cardiac death" because the heart stops completely rather than adopting an abnormal or weak rhythm. He said a viral infection likely caused the problem.
After six days in a coma, Showman woke up with her intellect intact and immediately set about thanking those who saved her life. Orr and the Tri-City nurses came first.
"I just got excellent care and I wanted them to know that," she said.
Showman headed north Wednesday to thank corpsman Reusi and Hospitalman William Vega at the headquarters of the 1st Medical Battalion located in the sprawling 22 Area of Camp Pendleton. Hospital Corpsman Marvin Flores --- the third military medic in the restaurant -- was unable to attend due to a training conflict.
Vega and Reusi, ages 22 and 21 respectively, seemed stunned to receive so much attention for their efforts. Though Showman, their commanding officer and Vista paramedics called them heroes, the pair said they were not so sure they deserved the honor.
"I think anyone with the ability would be able to do what we have done," Reusi said.
"We just do what we have to do," Vega added.
Dr. Orr said he was convinced that the quick action of the corpsmen did more than simply assist with Showman's recovery.
"The Navy Corpsmen saved her life," Orr said. "The fact that she had them right there was extremely lucky."
All three corpsmen received Navy and Marine Corps achievement medals for their performance.
-- Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com.
Ellie