Staff rescues patient who collapsed in dental clinic

Man went into cardiac arrest

DETROIT – Colleen Kuxhaus has been teaching at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry dental clinic for more than a decade, and said she's never seen anything like what happened Wednesday morning.

"Once they formed their little team to do the CPR they just stayed in motion. No one stopped," Kuxhaus said. "There was no yelling or screaming."

Kuxhaus said dental students and faculty quickly sprang into action and revived a man after he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest.

"He did not have a pulse. He was not breathing. They put the AED on him," Kuxhaus said 

Surveillance video shows someone working to revive the man by giving very strong chest compressions.

At one point, a woman takes off her jacket to jump in and help. Several minutes pass and then finally once the man has a pulse, the room breaks out into applause.

It's an on-the-job learning experience the staff probably won't soon forget.

"It's a wonderful statement of our education here. It was a great learning opportunity for the students, you know? You don't want to have a teaching experience like this, but when you do, to be able to utilize it is outstanding. This gentleman lived. This is a wonderful thing," said Kuxhaus.


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