Willic,

You did your best. Be happy that you were able to help in a time of need. You represented cyclists well.

Having once been a paramedic, and understanding some of the medical physiology behind a sudden cardiac arrest, the chances are that this gentleman had a problem, perhaps even a heart attack, previous to this episode. When a cardiac arrest occurs, something has interrupted the nervious signals to the heart. In a heart attack, a part of the heart muscle dies. Depending upon the "area of infarct" (area of dead or dying tissue affected by the blockage of blood flow), a heart attack can be survivable, or not. Apparently, this was the case where it was not. This means that no matter the treatment given, the person would most likely die due to the amount of damage sustained.

I gues what I'm saying is not to feel too badly that the victim of this arrest did not survive. You did your best, and that's all one can ask. At least the wife and family knows that people care.

My ride was great today, and my now-fixed bicycle functioned very well. I went to a bakery this noon and bought too loaves of bread, plus a non-fat muffin for lunch. Riding home was great, and the weather, while cool, was pleasant today in the Portland area.

John