When a birthday dinner at a Nashville restaurant turned into a life-or-death scenario, Anita Baluch, a fourth-year College of Pharmacy student, sprang into action, saving a choking man with quick-thinking and skills garnered from her CPR training. According to UTHSC News, the incident took place last April, highlighting the essential nature of life-saving skills such as the Heimlich maneuver. Baluch, who was celebrating her 24th birthday, recounted, "I just hear somebody scream that he's choking," and despite the confusion and incorrect attempts by others, she moved swiftly to provide the proper assistance.
Recalling the event, Baluch shared with UTHSC News how her education at the College of Pharmacy equipped her with the CPR certification required, stating, "Thankfully, the college has given us the opportunity to be certified in CPR and we do it every two years to keep up that certificate." The situation, which saw the patron pass out and a Brussels sprout fly out after the successful Heimlich maneuver, demonstrated not only her ability but also the importance of such training in potential emergencies, the family of the man expressed their gratitude via email for her life-saving intervention.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center emphasizes the significance of American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) training for student pharmacists. As per the report by UTHSC News, this curriculum aims to amplify the survivability of patients who endure sudden cardiac arrests. Kelly Rogers, PharmD, a professor at the institution, leads the CPR training and organizes campus-wide efforts to ensure accessibility to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and effective CPR knowledge for employees.
With ambitions to graduate this spring and pursue a clinical pharmacy residency, Baluch speaks to the broader imperative of knowing CPR, advising, "I think it is so important for people to start thinking about this as something that is a useful skill to have, especially because you just never know when you’re going to get put in a situation like this," she told UTHSC News, her own experience epitomizing the unforeseen moments when such training becomes invaluable. Dr. Rogers echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that familiarity with CPR and choking relief could be the deciding factor in life-threatening episodes that affect thousands each year outside hospital settings.
