CPR Classes Paramedic helps save newborn baby’s life

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CPR Classes Paramedic helps save newborn
babys life
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Paramedic Kevin Thomas was close to ending his
overnight shift in the early morning of February
2016 when he received one last emergency call for
the day a pediatric cardiac respiratory arrest
in Pearl River, a New Orleans suburb. The
emergency involved a newborn baby named Sophia
Ruth Smith, who was only six hours old and
suffered a cardiac arrest after a home birth
delivery. As the ambulance sped to the scene 13
miles away, Kevins thoughts raced in his mind as
he reviewed the steps hed need to take to treat
Sophia. It was his first pediatric cardiac arrest
call. I dont remember the drive to the house,
said Kevin, who works for Acadian Ambulance. All
I remember is being nauseated. Just that feeling
of youre going to have a childs life in your
hands. You just feel sick to your stomach.
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When the ambulance arrived at the home, the fire
department was already on the scene. Sarah,
Sophias mother, said her husband had been doing
CPR on his daughter whose skin had turned blue.
Kevin immediately provided aid to Sophia. He
was on it from the moment he came into the house
and took over the chest compressions and took
over the CPR, Sarah said about Kevins
assistance. He didnt skip a beat. Sophia had
a pulse, but she was having problems breathing.
Kevin and his EMT immediately put a bag-valve
mask on Sophia to deliver oxygen to her lungs to
help her breathe and started an IV.
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A helicopter ambulance had already been called to
transport Sophia to the hospital, but Kevin
realized that there was no time to wait for the
helicopter. Sophia needed to get to the hospital
immediately. Sarah remembered how Kevin
advocated for Sophia to be taken to a nearby
hospital by an ambulance ride instead of a
helicopter. He knew there was not time to get
her to the helicopter and transfer her to the
hospital, she said. I remember he was on the
phone with different hospitals because they
didnt want to take her. He fought and fought to
get her to one close by. Sophia was rushed to a
hospital via ambulance ride. Her prognosis was
bleak. Sarah said Sophia suffered major organ
failure and brain damage. The doctors told Sarah
and her husband to let Sophia go, as she would be
in a vegetative state and have no quality of life.
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Fortunately, Sophia defied the odds and survived.
She is now four years old. I look at her today
and thank goodness that we followed our faith and
that we didnt make that choice, Sarah said.
That we didnt make the decision. That we left
it up to God and his will and his way. Sarah
describes her daughter as an outgoing, loving
child who has a smile that lights up a room.
Sarah said Sophia is nonverbal, but she
communicates so well just who she is. Shell
let you know what she wants, Sarah said. She is
extremely independent. We have nine kids. We
treat her like the other kids. I think that has
helped with her development and her getting to
the point she is today. Sarah said Kevins
experience the day that he responded to the
emergency call and provided treatment to Sophia
made a difference.
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His experience was what we needed for her to be
here today, she said. When we left the
hospital, her doctor over at Ochsner Baptist, the
head doctor of the NICU, said there is no
scientific reason why your daughter should be
alive today. She was that bad. She was that sick.
It was their (emergency responders) quick
response and everything he did. Sarah will not
forget how Kevin called the hospital after the
incident to talk to the nurse to make sure that
Sophia survived. God put the right people right
where they needed to be, she said. Kevin will
always have a huge place in our hearts forever.
Kevin keeps in touch with Sarah and sees Sophias
progress through a Facebook group that her mother
started. l look at her Facebook page all the
time because her mom posts a lot of things on the
page because of her progression, he said. She
had a low chance of survival. And here she is
four years old.
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Kevin began his career as an EMT with Acadian in
2004. He later earned his paramedic certification
and now serves as a Critical Care Paramedic. His
EMT training was based on American Heart
Association guidelines. He was recognized as a
finalist for Acadian Ambulance Paramedic of the
Year for the Northshore region of the New Orleans
area in 2018. Kevin said he feels like hes a
savior for his community of Slidell, as he works
to protect safety and health. He said EMS
personnel provide pre-hospital care and can be
the difference between life and death. They are
special people who always put themselves in
danger to help the ones in need, Kevin
said. Learn more about CPR Classes. Bergenfield,
NJ, Jersey City, NJ, Livingston, NJ, and Queens,
New York and Gainesville, FL. Source
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