Quick-thinking golfers helped to save the life of a fellow player who collapsed from a heart attack while out on the course.
When the elderly man fell on the 17th hole, a fellow club member manually pumped his heart using first aid technique CPR for about 20 minutes until help arrived.
Meanwhile, club manager Jez Wilkinson rushed to a nearby garage where he knew there was a defibrillator. The device, which administers a large electric charge, was then used twice by another club member to restart the heart of the 75-year-old casualty.
The machine was bought more than 18 months ago thanks to contributions from village businesses and the golf club itself, and this was the first time it had been needed.
Paramedics then arrived and continued treatment until a doctor flew in by air ambulance to take over.
The golfer was airlifted to the Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham, where he had emergency treatment.
The incident happened at Kilworth Springs Golf Club, in south Leicestershire, at about 11.30am on Monday.
"One of our members applied CPR when the gentleman suffered a suspected cardiac arrest," said Mr Wilkinson.
"He kept the CPR going for 20 minutes while I went to get the defibrillator from the Esso Filling Station, in North Kilworth.
"I have been trained to use it but it gives clear instructions on how it is applied. I handed it to another person at the club to administer the treatment while I remained on the phone to the ambulance service."
The poorly man, who has not been identified, is being treated in the intensive care unit of the Queen's Medical Centre. Mr Wilkinson said he believed the actions of the unnamed golf club member who performed CPR – short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation – "saved the gentleman's life".
Mike Howkins, who owns the filling station in North Kilworth, said: "Jez Wilkinson came in just after 11.30am and took the defibrillator back to the golf course after telling me what had happened.
"Virtually every business in the village, including the golf club, contributed towards buying it.
"If it has helped to save someone's life it is well worth the £2,000 it cost."
He said the readout from the defibrillator showed it had been used twice during the incident.
An air ambulance spokesman said: "The air ambulance paramedic and doctor anaesthetised the casualty at the golf course in order to take control of his airway and breathing.
"The air ambulances regularly carry doctors on board their flights, which means they can perform advanced procedures such as anaesthesia at the scene of an incident, bringing the hospital to the patient, giving them the best chances of survival and recovery."
The air ambulance is a registered charity. For details, visit:
www.theairambulance service.org.uk
