The life of a West Sayville man was saved by the fast thinking rescue response of two emergency medical technicians in the Community Ambulance Company Saturday night.
The man, according to a release from the ambulance company, had overdosed
at a Bohemia shopping center around 7 p.m. Responding to the emergency call Emergency Medical Technicians JP Latkovic and James MacDonell found the male unresponsive and only breathing about four times per minute, an inadequate number to sustain life.
“When we arrived at the scene and assessed the patient, we recognized that this was a potential opiate overdose situation, and quickly administered a dose of Nasal Narcan,” according to MacDonell in a press statement.
Community Ambulance Company recently joined the New York State Department of Health’s two-year pilot program involving the deployment of the intranasal anti-narcotic medication. The medication is quickly absorbed into the body through the nose, and immediately reverses the effects of an opiate overdose, allowing patients to begin breathing on their own.
The EMTs delivered one dose of the Nasal Narcan, and a short time later the patient regained consciousness. He was fully alert by the time the crew arrived at the hospital.
“I was definitely impressed with how quickly the medication took effect,” Latkovic said. “This patient went from the verge of death to completely awake and oriented within a matter of minutes.”
The man was transported to North Shore LIJ Southside Hospital in Bay Shore.
