Wife mistakes husband's cardiac arrest for snoring

A Basingstoke woman who was woken by her husband's loud snoring, says she was unaware he was suffering a cardiac arrest.

It was only when Alison Crawford tried to encourage Barry to roll over, that she realised something was terribly wrong.

“He was completely rigid when I nudged him”, remembers Alison. “I tried slapping his face to wake him up but that didn’t work and he continued making this very strange noise.”

It was early in the morning of November 7 last year, when Alison was woken by Barry's loud snores.

Thankfully, she realised something was wrong, and dialled 999.

Recognising the seriousness of Barry’s symptoms, emergency call taker Molly Macguire talked Alison through how to carry out CPR.

When paramedics from South Central Ambulance arrived, they confirmed Barry was suffering a cardiac arrest. He needed six shocks with a defibrillator to bring him back to life.

The sounds Alison had been woken up by was in fact agonal breathing – a common occurrence in people suffering a cardiac arrest when a lack of oxygen causes a gasping effect.

Barry subsequently underwent double heart bypass surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Now recovered, he and Alison were keen to visit the medical staff who together saved his life.

They have now visited the team face-to-face

Barry said: “It was important for me to come and say thank you to the amazing team who saved my life and it was a very special, and emotional, meeting for Alison and I.

"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.”