'I found him gasping for breath' - NI woman on moment her husband's heart stopped during cardiac arrest

A Northern Ireland couple are raising awareness after needing the help of an emergency service call handler to carry out CPR in their home.

Frank McNally, a seasoned runner and gym-goer, had returned from a 5k run on a Sunday morning in March 2021 and was relaxing at home when his wife Maura, who was in the kitchen, suddenly heard him gasping for breath.

The 67-year-old civil servant from Dungannon said when he had returned home form his run, he felt "absolutely normal" and that he and his wife were thinking about heading for a walk after their lunch.

READ MORE: Life-saving defibrillators to be rolled out to all NI schools

READ MORE: NI woman on heart attack after mistaking symptoms for indigestion

"My wife was tidying up in the kitchen and I went into the living room and sat down," Frank said.

"The last thing I remember was sending a text to my son." Unknown to Frank and his wife, he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Maura said: "I was in the kitchen and heard this awful sound from Frank which I now know is called agonal breathing. I raced in to see Frank lying on the sofa and gasping for breath, I started shaking him but there was nothing – his heart had stopped.

"I rang the emergency services straight away and a neighbour came to help me. I was in total shock, but ready to do anything that would help get Frank back."

Maura was instructed by the emergency services call handler to pull Frank onto the floor, with the help of their neighbour. The call handler talked Maura through CPR, and she recalls performing CPR for around 7 minutes when the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over. Luckily for Frank the ambulance station in South Tyrone Hospital is very close to where he lives.

The paramedics worked on Frank for 40 minutes at home, shocking him twice with a defibrillator. He was then taken to Craigavon Area Hospital where he received a further defibrillator shock and was put into an induced coma.

Frank continued: "Maura and my son Paul were able to see me, however I was unconscious but at least my heart was stabilised. It was a really scary time for my family. At that stage they didn’t know if I would recover or if there would be any internal damage. It was also during coronavirus which meant my family could not visit during the period I was in hospital, which added to their stress.

"I was brought out of the induced coma a few days later and it was another two days before I fully realised what had happened. I remained in the Cardiology Unit in Craigavon Area Hospital for four weeks. After numerous tests I had a stent placed into one of the arteries in my heart and an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) fitted. Thankfully, no lasting damage was detected with my heart and there was no internal damage."

Frank is now back to his active lifestyle, running and visiting the gym regularly following attendance at a cardiac rehabilitation programme.

"I will be forever grateful to the Ambulance Service, Consultants, Doctors and Nurses in the Cardiology Unit in Craigavon Area Hospital and the Southern Trust Cardiac Rehab Team. Most of all I will be forever grateful to my wife, who without doubt, saved my life.

"It’s as simple as this. If Maura hadn’t been in the house to call the emergency services and start CPR, I wouldn’t be here now and have a second chance of life. Maura and I would urge everyone to learn CPR because it could be your loved one who needs it."

Frank and Maura shared their story on Tuesday as it emerged that around half of people (51%) who live with their partner said the fear of causing harm would make them reluctant to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if someone had a cardiac arrest in front of them. That figures is according to new data released by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to mark Heart Month this February.

A YouGov survey commissioned by the charity also found that four in ten (43%) people either married, in a civil partnership or living as married wouldn’t feel confident performing CPR if someone had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

With eight out of 10 cardiac arrests happening in the home - meaning you’re more likely to have to give CPR to a loved one - the BHF is urging couples to brush up on the lifesaving skills ahead of Valentine’s Day. The charity also hopes the findings empowers everyone to take action in the event of a cardiac arrest. If CPR isn’t attempted, the person will die.

Despite over a fifth of those surveyed (22%) saying they had seen someone have a cardiac arrest in front of them, almost a third (31%) have still not received any CPR training. And almost three-fifths (58%) have never been trained in using a defibrillator, with a similar number (57%) saying they would not feel confident using a defibrillator if someone had a cardiac arrest.

There are more than 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland each year, but sadly less than one in ten people survive. Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.

The BHF’s free online tool RevivR teaches lifesaving CPR skills in 15 minutes, using just a mobile phone or tablet and a cushion. Since RevivR launched in 2022, 250,000 people have learned CPR and how to use a defibrillator via the tool.

Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, said: "With most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happening in our homes, we all need to be ready to give CPR to a loved one.

"No matter your relationship status, everyone needs to know CPR. Our Heart Month survey found that people’s fear of hurting someone could prevent them from giving CPR, which could be the difference between life and death. Doing something is always better than doing nothing and through RevivR, we’ve made it easier than ever to learn.

"It only takes 15 minutes to learn CPR and could be the greatest gift you give to someone you love."

The British Heart Foundation is urging the public to keep hearts beating this Heart Month by learning CPR. To find out more, visit bhf.org.uk/heartmonth.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.