Con Paioff Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survivor

In May 2020, Con Paioff was declared medically dead for over 16 minutes. Thanks to his two children and St John WA paramedics, he is alive and well to tell the tale.

On a night like any other, and working from home in his study, Con suffered a sudden cardiac arrest that left him breathless and without a pulse. Hearing the thump of his collapse, Con’s family came rushing to his aid and immediately dialled 000.

Con was suffering an out of hospital cardiac arrest.

With instructions provided by the St John WA phone operator, Con’s son and daughter, Alex and Jordana, became the sole reason for Con’s survival in those crucial 16 minutes. With previous first aid training, Alex and Jordana took turns in delivering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to Con.

Their training, paired with their bravery, helped Alex and Jordana keep oxygen and blood circulating to Con’s heart and brain until St John paramedics arrived. This made it possible for the St John Clinical Service officers to restart Con’s heart and bring him back to life.

Con’s survival required a strong network of first responders, from Alex and Jordana to the St John WA Communications Officer and the paramedics who arrived on the scene. Without this network, Con would not be here today.

Con’s story is a sign of hope for out of hospital cardiac arrests and testament to why building community resilience remains a priority for St John WA. The highest chance of surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest comes with establishing the right network of people, who are empowered with the right education, the right equipment and the right training.