Eight minutes that saved a life

Happy to be alive after quick-thinking mates come to teenager’s rescue Eight minutes that saved a life TIFFANY LAURIE EXCLUSIVE Troy Hyatt should not be alive.  Eight frantic minutes and an extraordinarily fortunate set of circumstances saved the 17-year-old from certain death.  From the second the All Saints’ College student collapsed on a Rottnest beach during leavers’ celebrations on November 25 with a rare heart condition, he was given less than a one per cent chance of survival.  Only the quick actions of his 17-year-old schoolmates, who ran for help and performed first aid until medical staff arrived, saved his life.  A fortnight later, Troy is expected to make a full recovery. Like any teenager he is chafing at the boredom of hospital life and looking forward to a holiday before he starts studying for his diploma of building registration at TAFE.  Speaking from his hospital bed, Troy said he had no memories of collapsing but he was amazed at the quick response from his friends, especially Alex “OB” Obiri-Boateng who had completed his Surf Life Saving bronze medallion proficiency course only that week.  The group arrived at Rottnest the previous night and had planned to start their celebrations with a leisurely swim at The Basin.  Friend Trent Trampenau said Troy left the water and was lying on his towel when he went tense and made strange noises. He and mate Lance Kinnaird realised Troy was having a seizure and ran to the nursing post and police station for help.  “OB” cleared Troy’s airways and performed mouth-to-mouth for eight minutes while friend Jessie Ash monitored Troy’s erratic pulse.  “I always knew they were awesome friends but it was pretty crazy that they knew what to do,” Troy said yesterday.  “OB” said they all initially assumed Troy had been bitten by something. “He was struggling to breathe, his eyes were rolled back and stuff was dribbling out of his mouth,” he said. “I tried to put his tongue back in because he was really tense and I thought he might bite it. I gave him a couple of breaths. He took a really big breath by himself and then he stopped.”  By the time ambulance officers arrived, Troy’s heart had stopped. The resuscitation team was joined by radiologist Dr Deryck Foulner, who was holidaying on the island and happened to be walking past The Basin.  Troy’s mother Dixie said nurse David Charlton and Dr Phil King refused to give up on resuscitation attempts.  In the first 40 minutes after his collapse, Troy received 15 defibrillation shocks, far more than was usual for cardiac arrest patients.  Doctors at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital diagnosed Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome, a rare, hard-todetect heart condition. It was a matter of time before Troy had a cardiac arrest.  Mrs Hyatt said Troy’s friends’ clear heads and quick thinking not only saved his life but also saved him from brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen. Flashback: Paramedics attend to Troy on November 25 after the 17-year-old collapsed on a Rottnest beach with a rare heart condition. Picture: Channel 9  Rotto heroes: Troy Hyatt, centre, with friends Trent Trampenau, left, Lance Kinnaird, Jessie Ash and Alex Obiri-Boateng, who saved his life. Picture: Greg Burke