Send your prayers and best wishes

10:15am....Marika just called and Ron is sitting up and talking.....but has no memory of what happened.....best possible scenario....lets keep our fingers crossed and keep up the prayers and positive thoughts....thanks everyone! We're going to head over to the meet....we'll keep everyone updated as we hear any news. Appears he is lucky to have a good outcome following a potentially lethal event. I lost a very good friend and professional colleague this year at age 51 due to an acute cardiac event - he was very fit, exercised regularly and neither smoke nor drank alcohol - he was resuscitated but had been in ventricular fibrillation too long, and was declared brain dead. It sounds as if the resuscitation by the guards and EMT's was fantastic. Best wishes to Ron Johnson - a great coach and a great swimmer. Thanks, Paul, for the updates.

Paul, Thanks for the updates. He and his family are in my prayers. Please let Marika and Bowen (if you see him) know I am praying for them.

Paul, As many know, two years ago at our Pac Champs we lost Brendon Wen in the warm up pool after the 1000, and the meet of his life. That prompted us (Pacific LMSC) to make sure an AED was available in the future at Pacific meets. Last year 80-something year old Richard Smith (also on our team) had a heart attack. AED and amazing first responders saved him. (He's fine today and as feisty as ever!). I have several points: That's such a scary thing to happen to everyone involved, and I'm so sorry. The first reponsders make all the difference in the overall chance for survival. (We lost one, and saved one) Arizona's LMSC might now want to look into the AED availability at all practices and meets. Here at Pacific we had a very successul survey sent out to the entire membership (after Brendon's death) and learned very valuable information. It did in fact save a life the very next time it was needed. My Dad, almost 81 (next month) has been battling cancer and numerous bouts of pneumonia, due to bedrest and lack of exercise for the last 6 years, I'm bettin' on Ron to pull through this just fine :) Lastly, my prayers are with Ron and his family, friends, and teammates as well.

Paul thank you for allthe info on Ron Johnson. I was at that meet and in some way I think it affected , all who were there. P.S Your wife swam a great 500. DOM IN AZ.

8:30am Sunday; Laura just spoke with Marika (Ron's daughter)....Ron is still in intensive care and at the moment critical but stable....so keep the positive energy flowing today! Karen.....Brophy did have an AED on sight and it was utilized. Thankfully both the lifeguard and Kurt we're able to start immediate chest compressions and maintain them for the critical 1-2 minutes it took to get Ron moved onto dry ground set up the device and activate it. The paramedics we're hero's here as well as they we're on scene I'm guessing in less than 5 minutes (a police officer arrived first).....and had him on the way to the emergency room in I'm guessing 5-6 minutes. From what we have heard.....only 5% of people survive the severity of what Ron experienced.....a testament to his being a complete stud and the fast reactions of the people on site.....

I am thinking of Ron Johnson a lot, although I do not know him. I am new to masters swimming, and only this weekend swam in my first meet about 20 months after a heart attack. I was 44 at the time. The earlier point about vascular health is extremely important--you don't know what you don't know. I count myself lucky, not only because I survived, but because I know that I have vascular issues and take a raft of medications, watch my diet, etc. I hope Ron escaped damage to his heart tissue. He will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Paul, Thanks for letting us know about Ron and giving us updates. What a shock. But if anyone is tough enough to face this challenge it's him. He's got a lot of people out here pulling for him to make a full recovery. Rich

I hope he makes a full recovery. I am sure his fitness from swimming will help him through this. Rich

(AP) Updating the way everyday people do CPR, new recommendations urge many more chest compressions for victims of cardiac arrest. The revised guidelines issued Monday by the American Heart Association on cardiopulmonary resuscitation advise giving 30 chest compressions — instead of 15 — for every two rescue breaths. "Basically, the more times someone pushes on the chest, the better off the patient is," said Dr. Michael Sayre, an Ohio State University emergency medicine professor who helped develop the new guidelines. "When you stop compressions, blood flow stops," said Mary Fran Hazinski, a clinical nurse specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who also helped develop the guidelines. "You have to make up for that lost ground," she said. "We think that the fewer the interruptions, the better for blood flow." The guidelines also recommend cooling cardiac arrest patients for 12 to 24 hours to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Two significant studies have shown that practice can improve survival and brain function for those who are comatose after initial resuscitation. More than 300,000 Americans die each year of cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly stops beating. The heart association estimates that more than 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before they get to the hospital. Studies show that the chest compressions create more blood flow through the heart to the rest of the body, buying time until a defibrillator can be used or the heart can pump blood on its own. Studies have also shown that blood circulation increases with each chest compression and must be built back up after an interruption, the association says in its online journal Circulation. The new guidelines also cut down on the number of times a rescuer needs to use a defibrillator and they advise rescuers not to stop after giving two rescue breaths to check for signs of circulation before starting compressions. The bottom line advice is to focus on the chest compressions. Instead of applying the defibrillator pads up to three times before beginning CPR, the guidelines advise rescuers to just give one shock and then do two minutes of CPR beginning with chest compressions before trying the defibrillator again. Studies show that the first shock works more than 85 percent of the time. Defibrillators have been popping up in public places like airports and businesses, but the heart association says that more public places need to install the devices. Survival rates have been as high as 49 to 74 percent for lay rescuer programs when defibrillators are placed in casinos, airports or used by police. The guidelines also urge that 911 operators be trained to provide CPR instructions by phone. "For the bystander that witnesses a collapse, the main danger is inaction," Sayre said. "We believe there is very little downside to trying to attempt a resuscitation." According to the heart association, about 75 percent to 80 percent of all cardiac arrests outside a hospital happen at home, and effective CPR can double a victim's chance of survival. Sudden cardiac arrest can occur after a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning. It's most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm. The person experiencing it collapses, is unresponsive to gentle shaking and stops normal breathing. "The most common reason many people die from cardiac arrest is no one nearby knows CPR," Sayre said. The new guidelines provide an opportunity for those who have taken CPR in the past to take a refresher course, said Dr. Ahamed Idris, professor of surgery and medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "I think it's a good idea for people to take CPR lessons at least every couple of years," said Idris, also involved in creating the guidelines. Hazinski said that she expects the new guidelines will be disseminated over the next few months to those who teach CPR. The heart association says that currently about 9 million Americans a year are trained in CPR, but the association has a goal of more than doubling that number in the next five years to 20 million. "The bottom line is we think more people need to learn CPR," Hazinski said. "We have more and more evidence that good CPR works. We're doing our best to increase the number of bystanders that learn CPR."

I wish they wouldn't push us masters so fast to get out of the pool after nearly dying at the 100 I.M. or anydistance butterfly or 100 free. Hey, sometimes I hardly have the strength to go under the lanes to get out using the steps (I never use them at practice). I've thought this same thing. I could barely crawl out of the pool at my last meet after an event. After reading this thread, I realize I may be overdue for my annual physical. Last time I was checked, my blood pressure and cholesterol were fine. But who knows for sure without a check up ... Think I'm overdue for a mammogram too. I better get thee to a non-orthopod doc real soon ... I hope Ron will be fine.