Newbury dental practice pulls together to save man's life, after he collapsed in the chair

A Newbury dentist has relived the moment his team were forced to save his friend's life, writes Max Carter Keall.

Charl du Toit has spoken of the incredible day at Newbury Smile Studio, Cheap Street, when he restarted Andy How’s heart, after his friend collapsed in the dentist chair.

Mr How was the first patient in that morning, having a normal check-up, something he has every six months for just fifteen minutes.

But this time he suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest in the chair.

He turned grey and nearly fell as Dr du Toit, 56, and dental nurse Tia Dunne, 46, rushed to check his pulse, airways and breathing.

“He just said I feel faint and he then went, just completely stopped breathing, his heart stopped and he almost fell off the chair,” said Dr du Toit.

The dental team swiftly realised what was happening and the training for emergency procedures – which they are taught for a full day every year by Smile Studio – kicked in.

Dr du Toit and Mrs Dunne quickly realised Mr How wasn't breathing and an ambulance was called, with paramedics speaking to another nurse on the phone, Theresa Merritt, 52, who relayed all the information to those in the room.

Mrs Dunne said: “It's that moment when you feel the pulse, there is nothing, you go and listen to the breathing, nothing and you think oh wow, now we need to do something.”

The dental team cut away his jumper and prepared to use the "miracle machine", or defibrillator, that is compulsory for all dental practices to have.

“When I had to take the defibrillator pads you have to stick on, I was originally shaking so much I struggled to put them down because the adrenaline was flowing” said Dr du Toit.

“It's almost like you get tunnel vision, I was just concentrating on what I have to do now. I didn't even see my wife next to me because I was so focused on what I was doing.”

On the third attempt at resuscitation Mr How's heart finally started beating, a full five to six minutes after it had initially stopped working.

Minutes later the ambulance arrived, waved down by another nurse Laura Annettes, 42, who was outside waiting.

The paramedics were quick to aid Mr How who was incoherent and said he doesn’t remember anything from sitting in the chair for the first time to waking up at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

He had been driven by ambulance to Victoria Park where he was airlifted to hospital, while one of the paramedics stayed with the dental team.

Dr Du Toit said: “One of the paramedics stayed to debrief us and it was really brilliant because we were shaken, in shock and crying.

“They understand how emotional it is for the people doing the reviving too, telling us what went well and how to deal with the trauma.

“Because we could have done it so quickly there was no lasting damage, and Andy’s cardiologist agreed.”

At the hospital Mr How was told that the very same day he was saved, ambulances were called to three other heart attack situations which all were sadly fatal.

Mr How is now fitted with an automatic pacemaker/defibrillator that can do what the team did on its own.

“I think what helped was that we worked as a team that has been trained to do this, everyone had a role and that made it all possible, but for one person to have to do it on their own it might be a different outcome,” added Dr du Toit.

“We supported each other in the whole process and came together very well.

"The advice I would give to anyone in the same situation is 'try and stay calm' – because then you think straight, because even with us, when it went well, it's so traumatic.

“You really want to help them, you want them to live, so doing something is always better than nothing."

Amazingly Mr How returned to Smile Studios barely a week later to have the same check up he was meant to have before, reportedly saying the thing he was most annoyed about was that they had to cut up his Christmas jumper.