CPR instructor suffers cardiac arrest mid-class; students save his life in seconds

Karl Arps was doing what he'd done countless times before. Teaching a CPR class. Demonstrating the signs of a heart attack to a group of students at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Walking them through what to look for, what to do, how to respond.

Midway through his demonstration, Arps's hand curled outward. His face contorted. He started snoring, CBC Canada reported. And the room went from classroom to emergency in seconds. The students realized almost immediately that this wasn't part of the lesson plan.


"The last thing I remember is feeling dizzy and hearing a student say I didn't look right. The next thing I remember is waking up in an ambulance," the 72-year-old instructor said later. He'd had a heart attack. He'd gone into cardiac arrest.

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Recognizing the crisis

Logan Lehrer, a firefighter training to become an Emergency Medical Technician, was the first to notice something was genuinely wrong. He watched Arps's hand curl, watched his face contort, and for a moment thought maybe it was part of the demonstration or some kind of test.


Another instructor, Traci Blondeau, tried to snap Arps out of it. When she realized he wasn't acting, everyone moved. There was no hesitation. No panic. No confusion. Just action.


"We all had our tasks, and we all knew what to do," Lehrer said. "There was not a student out there that was fumbling."


Six students total got involved. Lehrer called 911 while the others started CPR. They took turns administering chest compressions and used a defibrillator under their instructor's guidance.

Understanding cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating effectively. It's different from a heart attack, though one can trigger the other. During a heart attack, blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, which damages heart muscle. In cardiac arrest, the heart essentially malfunctions—it either stops beating or beats so irregularly that it can't pump blood to the brain and other vital organs. Without immediate intervention, brain damage and death can occur within minutes. That's why CPR and defibrillators are so critical. They keep blood flowing and can help restart a normal heart rhythm.

According to the American Red Cross, fewer than 10 percent of people who go into cardiac arrest outside a hospital survive. But when bystanders immediately start CPR and use a portable defibrillator, the survival rate triples. Those numbers exist because of people like Arps's students—people who were trained, who paid attention, who acted without hesitation when it mattered.

Arps underwent triple-bypass surgery in the hospital. Seven days later, he walked out. Now, as he recovers, Arps has been back to the school twice. Both times to thank his students. He brought them life-saving pins from the college and sugary treats, trying to express gratitude for something that really can't be repaid. "Thank you does not seem enough," he told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.. "They saved my life, period."