Donated Defibtech defib saves a life within hours

The man in his 50s, who was visiting the area, suffered a heart attack while surfing at the Crescent Head point just before 11am on Friday. The man was dragged from the surf by two local men who cut the man’s wetsuit off before one of them began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the man. A female bystander then raced over to the Crescent Head holiday park reception and asked for the defibrillator. Two nurses who were out surfing came in to assist with the machine. The combination of CPR and the defib unit kept the man alive until an ambulance arrived. The man was airlifted to the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney for medical treatment, where he remained in a critical but stable condition yesterday. Holiday Park manager Desiree Archer said the man had been extremely lucky.  "It was one of those surreal things. They (the nurses) were just out surfing and were able to come in and help him,” she said. “I’m shocked that the machine was needed so quickly after being given to us.” Crescent Head Malibu Club president Barry Price said the machine had proved to be a worthwhile investment for the area. "The machine was put on the man and a lot of water gushed out of him, then a pulse was detected and they got his heart going,” he said.“The defib really bounced him back, but the two nurses deserve a medal. They did a fabulous job." After several fundraisers through the Malibu Club the defibrillator was bought for the Holiday Park and was donated to manager Angus Archer about 9am on Friday. "They have a 24-hour service here so when the surf club is closed and equipment is hard to access we now have another one to use,” Mr Price said. "Logistically it’s a good spot to have it, you can be down there to help someone in the right amount of time. "With two defib units in a square kilometre - it’s a much safer area now.”