It happened on May 15, 2023 at around 8:30 p.m. in the Mammendorf multi-purpose hall.
Around 12 sports friends from the recreational sports club SV Mammendorf met up for sporting activities. 41-year-old Martin Jantschek was also there. They played board ball to warm up, and his teammates noticed that Martin Jantschek looked a bit strange and pale. At first they only suspected that he had been jostled beforehand. But then Martin Jantschek collapsed and suddenly the seriousness of the situation became clear.
All of the sports friends acted quickly and with presence of mind: one began with cardiac massage and ventilation, another fetched a defibrillator, which he happened to know about because his son had just completed a first aid course in the multi-purpose hall, and one called the emergency doctor. All of the others also pitched in courageously. All of this happened at a rapid pace, so that after just a few minutes the first shock from the defibrillator was delivered and Martin Jantschek's heart rhythm was restored. Soon after, the emergency doctor arrived with the rescue helicopter and took over further care. Martin Jantschek was flown to the accident clinic in Murnau and put into an artificial coma, from which he was awakened two days later. After that, he was doing quite well again. The cause of the sudden collapse was not yet clear, so the hospital's medical team requested the readout data from the lay defibrillator from MedX5, where it was clearly evident that the patient had ventricular fibrillation, which could be eliminated by the defibrillator. Mr. Jantschek was then implanted with a fixed defibrillator, which now protects him from rhythm problems. He is now even back at work.
Martin Jantschek's last memory of the event is limited to the train ride to the multi-purpose hall; everything that happened after that is as if it had been erased. But of course his fellow athletes told him the whole story and Martin Jantschek cannot believe his luck that this event happened exactly where it did and that the guys who saved him were around him and that there was a defibrillator hanging exactly where it was needed. There could not have been a happier twist of fate, says Martin Jantschek full of gratitude and rightly sees his fellow athletes as heroes.
Martin Jantschek owes his life to the exemplary rescue chain of his fellow athletes, who acted quickly and carefully, and to the fact that a lay defibrillator was immediately available. Mention should also be made of Martin Jantschek's partner, who supported him with all her strength during his convalescence. She and his two small children are infinitely grateful that they did not lose the father of the family.
This moving example of a life-saving action underlines how important first responders and the availability of lay defibrillators are, especially in sports.
