Rookie University Police Officer Saves Student’s Life

October 24, 2014 - The first time Arizona State University (ASU) police officer Jarrod Dacquisto needed to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), he saved a college student’s life.

A casual game of volleyball had almost proved deadly for an ASU student, who suddenly grabbed his chest and collapsed on the court. His friends called for help. Officer Dacquisto got the call, “A student down and not breathing.” Dacquisto grabbed the AED Plus^® that all ASU police cars carry and was at the scene within minutes.

The student was lying on his back at the volleyball court, and another student was doing CPR. Officer Dacquisto applied the AED Plus, which administered a shock.

"After the shock, the victim’s body jumped up like what you see on TV," said Officer Dacquisto. Then I heard a gasp of air come in, and I knew he was starting to breathe again, the one gasp was better than not having a breath come in at all."

Seconds later, an ambulance arrived to rush the student to the hospital, barely breathing but alive.

The average survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year is 7%.¹ If an AED is used by a bystander, the rate increases to 38%.²

¹ American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2009 Update. Dallas, Texas: American Heart Association, 2009.
² Weisfeldt ML, Sitlani CM, Ornato JP, et al., on behalf of the ROC Investigators. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;55:1713-1720.