Husband's cardiac arrest mistaken for snoring

A woman who was awoken by her husband in cardiac arrest said she thought the noise he was making was just "a very loud snore".

Alison Crawford from Basingstoke, Hampshire, woke up in the early hours of the morning on 7 November to find her husband Barry making a strange noise.

After dialling 999, she was instructed to carry out CPR until paramedics arrived.

Mr Crawford survived following several shocks with a defibrillator and later heart surgery.

"He was completely rigid when I nudged him," said Mrs Crawford.

“I tried slapping his face to wake him up but that didn’t work and he continued making this very strange noise.”

Two ambulances were sent to the couple's home, where it was confirmed Mr Crawford was in cardiac arrest.

The sounds he had been making were agonal breathing, an abnormal pattern of breathing which can happen when a lack of oxygen causes a gasping effect, according to South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS).

Despite paramedics regaining a pulse, Mr Crawford remained in a critical condition, as he was also suffering a significant heart attack, and was taken to hospital.

In March, he underwent double heart bypass surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

Once recovered, he said he wanted to visit the SCAS team that had saved his life.

“It was a very special and emotional meeting for Alison and I," he said.

"To put it bluntly, I wouldn’t be here today without them and we are both so grateful for what they did for us, and what they continue to do for others.

"They will all be in our hearts for ever.”

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