Woman reunited with life-saving ambulance staff

A woman from East Sussex has thanked the ambulance service staff who saved her life against the odds and allowed her to meet her first grandson.

Hastings resident Amanda Burns, 54, went into cardiac arrest on 19 March but was saved by South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) clinicians.

She has now been reunited with the staff from the trust, which said just 10% of patients survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Ms Burns said: "Thanks to them, I've been able to meet my first grandson and for that, I can't thank them enough."

Ms Burns' husband John phoned 999 when his wife was experiencing significant pain in her shoulder and a dull ache down her right arm.

Paramedic Sophie Gowdy and emergency care support worker (ECSW) Denver Giles delivered vital CPR and administered two shocks with a defibrillator.

ECSW Lily Keen and associate ambulance practitioner Jasmine Rumsey also arrived shortly after to help.

The team had to use intraosseous cannulation, putting a needle through a long bone into its cavity, to give Ms Burns medication, before taking her to hospital.

The trust said this procedure was rarely used and only administered when the body was shutting down completely.

Ms Burns remained in intensive care for a further eight days following her cardiac arrest.

Ms Gowdy said: "I've been at Secamb for five years and Amanda is the first out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patient I've attended that's survived.

"The minutes after a cardiac arrest are critical and I'm so grateful that I got to meet Amanda and see her doing so well."

Mr Giles added: "We don't often get to see patients that we've helped, so it was a special reminder of what we do."

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.