Clinic staff's response gives waiting room crisis a happy ending

It's not unusual for Colleen Lundequam to accompany her husband to the Clairemont Campus clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for his routine tests. Sometimes, she waits in the car. But on Oct. 18, 2023, she decided to sit in the waiting room. That decision ultimately saved her life.

Karrie Brantner, a patient appointment services specialist, first knew there might be a problem in the Radiology, Diabetes Education and Occupational Medicine waiting room when she heard a person shout, "Ma'am, are you OK?" She looked out from her desk and saw a woman slumping in her chair. Karrie dashed out to check on her, and found the woman was unconscious and not breathing. Karrie told the lead scheduler, Derrick Samuelson, to call 911 and issue an emergency Code Blue.

"There weren't a lot of staff around, so Derrick went to find a nurse while a diabetic educator and I lowered the woman to the floor. By then, she didn't have a pulse, so the educator started doing chest compressions," says Karrie, who stayed by Colleen's side.

Melissa Berlin, nurse manager, was in a meeting nearby and rushed into the waiting room when she heard the commotion. She found a hectic scene, but one that revealed everyone doing what they'd been trained to do.

First-rate response

"The staff response was tremendous," says Melissa. "The clinic isn't like a hospital. We don't have an Emergency Department, and we're not equipped for a full-blown emergency like this. But we do have a defibrillator in the waiting room, and staff located other necessary equipment from around the clinic."

With emergency care underway, Melissa assessed what else needed to be done, including directing patients in the waiting room to another area and holding up blankets to give the woman some privacy. They also had to figure out who she was since she hadn't checked in as a patient.

They determined by process of elimination that she was Colleen Lundequam, 69, and her husband, John, was in an exam room.

"I came into the waiting room and there was Colleen with a crowd of medical people around her," says John, 70. "It was very shocking, and I was worried she wouldn't make it."

By the time EMTs arrived, Colleen had a weak pulse. They transported her to the Emergency Department at the Luther Campus in Eau Claire. Once again, clinic staff stepped forward, calling the Lundequams' daughter on John's phone and driving him to the hospital.

"I was in the middle of something at work, and my phone kept ringing, so I decided to pick up," says Lindsey Lundequam. "That's when I learned that Mom was in cardiac arrest and being taken to the hospital.

"Just the weekend before, we had a family visit. Mom was fine, and we had such a good time. She has health issues, but we never suspected she had an underlying heart condition."

Even though Lindsey was driving from Chippewa Falls, about 20 minutes away, she beat the ambulance to the hospital and was able to connect with her dad there.

Expert help for an ailing heart

Hospital staff determined that Colleen had experienced a heart attack. They stabilized her in the Emergency Department and transferred her to the Critical Care Unit.

"Just when we thought she was stable on Wednesday, Mom had another heart attack on Saturday," says Lindsey.

That second heart attack prompted doctors to insert two stents in Colleen's blocked arteries. She spent time on a ventilator and more than two weeks in the hospital before she was able to return home to Barron, Wisconsin.

"I didn't know about any of this until I came around. I had no warning whatsoever in the waiting room. When I asked why I was in the hospital, I was told what had happened; it was scary. But they told me I was going to be OK, and I was happy to hear that," says Colleen.

"I'm amazed they were able to do all the wonderful things they did to keep me alive and that I'm still alive."

Gratefully living a "new normal" life

Since that eventful October, Colleen has graduated from cardiac rehabilitation. She can continue using the facility's exercise equipment, and now John has joined her in a regular workout schedule. As she settles into her "new normal" life, she's enjoying time with her grandchildren and great-grandchild and has welcomed a new rescue dog into their home.

Lindsey is pleased that her mother has had support from cardiologists and dietitians, that they have adjusted Colleen's medications and her mother's buckling down to take better care of her heart health.

"Mom and Dad are so appreciative of how everyone went into action to help her, and they both recognize that if something like this was going to happen, she was in the best place," says Lindsey.

"You never think it's going to happen to you until it does. And we've asked ourselves 1,000 times, 'What if she'd stayed in the car?' There are no words to express the appreciation we have for the great team who has seen Mom all the way through cardiac rehab."

Reflecting on the clinic team's efforts, Melissa, the nurse manager that day, says, "We're so glad Colleen has had a complete recovery. When the staff was called on to help that day, they knew just what to do. I don't think they recognize how fabulous their teamwork was."