RBMC Residents Save Mans Life at Gym

Raritan Bay Medical Center second-year internal medicine residents Zaka Ul Haq and Asfandyar Ibrar had just finished working out at the Esporta Fitness Center in South Plainfield on February 9 when they saw a man in his 30s lying on his back. After discovering the man had no pulse, Zaka immediately started CPR as Asfandyar ran to the front desk to get the AED cabinet. They attached the pads and began the second round of compressions. When the AEDC advised them to shock the patient, who was suffering an arrhythmia incident, they yelled “clear!” and applied the charge, just as they had been trained to do. The victim responded immediately and was able to speak within a few minutes. EMS took over from there.

Their Training Kicked In

Zaka and Asfandyar credit their training in RBMC's residency program. “What made us confident was on a daily basis when codes are called in the hospital, we have to respond,” Zaka said. “We knew the steps and what to do. It’s a part of our training.” Friday is Thank a Resident Day, a day to recognize resident physicians like Zaka and Asfandyar and celebrate their invaluable contribution to patient care — and to saving lives. “Hearing this story makes me very proud to be part of their training,” said Mayer Ezer, MD FACP, and the Internal Medicine Program director at Raritan Bay. “At many places they have lifesaving AEDs but many times staff forget about using them. I am glad that the residents were able to intervene and looked for the AED in order to save this man's life. Minutes matter and in this case, we did not have to wait for EMS to arrive.” The man later reached out to Zaka and Asfandyar to thank them and said he is following up with his cardiologist and being monitored for his arrhythmia. “We were able to save someone’s life. That’s so very satisfying,” Asfandyar said.