Suddenly, Claus Madsen's phone rings in the middle of the night with an alarm from the Heart Runner app, and he doesn't waste many seconds thinking about what to do.
It takes him just three minutes and 30 seconds to get out of bed, put on shoes and clothes, start the car, and drive to a detached house elsewhere in the town of Saksild near Odder, where he lives.
Inside, 37-year-old Jakob Hoffmann is lying on the floor of his bedroom, where he had a cardiac arrest shortly before.
Claus Madsen is the first heart runner on the scene, but shortly after, more arrive. They take turns helping each other give Jakob Hoffmann life-saving first aid until the ambulance arrives.
>
> Then the heart suddenly started beating again, and a somewhat different mood set in
>
For about 40 minutes, both heart runners and ambulance responders fight to save Jakob Hoffmann's life with no sign of a heart rhythm.
Read also: Heart runners are faster than ever before ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/hjerteloebere-er-hurtigere-end-nogensinde-foer ) Claus Madsen has been a heart runner for several years and has received an alarm in his Heart Runner app eight times in total. (Photo: © Martin Sønderby/DR)
- Then the heart suddenly started beating again, and the mood shifted a bit. That was around the time I thought, "wow," it could just as easily have gone the other way, but fortunately it didn't, says heart runner Claus Madsen.
For Jakob Hoffmann, hearing the heart runner retell the sequence of events stirs up strong emotions today.
- It's crazy how you can lie in your own bed and basically lose your life. And then get it back with good help from your wife, the heart runners, and the responders, says Jakob Hoffmann.
---------------------------------------------
Heart runners are faster than ever before
---------------------------------------------
New figures from the Heart Runner scheme show that half of heart runners nationwide reach a cardiac arrest within three minutes and 24 seconds.
That is more than a minute faster than two years ago, when response time was last measured. At that time, the median response time was four minutes and 44 seconds.
96 percent of all who survive cardiac arrest survive to a good life. 4 percent end up with more severe neurological damage.
There are 61,300 heart runners enrolled in the voluntary scheme across the country.
Source: Trygfonden
-----------------------------------
A recovered life with virtually no after-effects
-----------------------------------
Today, Jakob Hoffmann lives a good life with virtually no after-effects following the cardiac arrest just over two years ago.
>
> It has been difficult for me to say a proper thank you, because I don't feel I can do it adequately
>
Occasionally he gets more tired, but otherwise everything works as it should. After the cardiac arrest, he had a pacemaker implanted to monitor his heart, and it has not observed anything irregular since.
Jakob Hoffmann survived a cardiac arrest in 2024. Today he has virtually no after-effects from it. (Photo: © Martin Sønderby/DR)
- I have no doubt that I was lucky that my wife and the heart runners started CPR so quickly and were so effective. I have heard of others who have significantly worse after-effects than I do, says Jakob Hoffmann.
Read also: See here how quickly heart runners arrive where you live ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/se-her-hvor-hurtigt-hjerteloeberne-naar-frem-der-hvor-du-bor )
Today, Jakob Hoffmann is also left with a very deep gratitude towards the heart runners.
- Both for those who worked on me, but also for those who took my wife aside, so she wouldn't have to stand there bewildered and watch.
- It has been difficult for me to say a proper thank you, because I don't feel I can do it adequately, he says.
>
> It is clearly in situations like this that it really makes sense
>
For Claus Madsen, being a heart runner makes sense in every way.
- It's simply a good idea to help when you have the skills to do it. And it is clearly in situations like this that it really makes sense, he says.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.