'Had he had an EKG this would have been picked up much sooner': School nurse in Boca Raton saves student
A Palm Beach County School nurse made a life-saving decision when a high school student came to her for help after blacking out while in the lunch line in the cafeteria.
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The 11th grade Olympic Heights Community High School student called his father, who along with classmates, convinced him to go see the school nurse immediately.
Health District of Palm Beach County RN, Karin Banuchi, said the outcome may have been different if he had not visited the school clinic.
"He could have actually had a cardiac arrest," Banuchi said. "His heart can't, you can't tolerate that."
Banuchi called paramedics and the patient was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed an EKG.
He said he was then flown to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, where he received emergency surgery to get his heart back on track.
"He had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome," Banuchi said. "He was born with an extra electrical pathway, he actually had two electrical pathways that were not supposed to be there. Had he had an EKG, this would have been picked up much sooner."
His mother wants to raise awareness about EKGs for children.
Officials said the Health Care District's school nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants help connect students and families to community resources.
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