Visiting fan revived after cardiac arrest at Brighton and Hove Albion match

We’re so happy you’re still with us, Bob. 😇 pic.twitter.com/6ThfjIDgUS

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) October 20, 2022

A visiting football fan has said thank you after his life was saved when he suffered a cardiac arrest at the Amex Community Stadium in Falmer on Tuesday (18 October).

Bob Whetton, 73, was about to watch his team, Nottingham Forest, take on Brighton and Hove Albion when his heart stopped.

Mr Whetton fell as he made his way from the station to the away end as the match was kicking off.

Stewards reacted within seconds and, less than two minutes later, medical staff with a defibrillator were with him and, with paramedics, helped resuscitate Mr Whetton.

His heart was restarted and he is now recovering in hospital, full of praise for those who came to his aid.

Mr Whetton said: “I’m so grateful for the intervention of Brighton and everyone who helped – from club stewards, St John Ambulance, the paramedics, the crowd doctor to the NHS from the Royal Sussex County Hospital A&E and cardiology teams.

“I’m still under the care of the cardiology team but if I hadn’t had that support, I wouldn’t be here to give this story.”

Mr Whetton is the seventh supporter in the past decade or so to have his life saved by the club’s staff and medical partners.

Albion’s head of safety and security Adrian Morris said: “I am so proud of the staff and our medical partners. There is no doubt that their swift actions and instinctive response saved Bob’s life.

“It was a text-book example of everyone involved in the health and safety of supporters at the Amex working together in an emergency situation.”

St John Ambulance’s Trevor Moss said: “During the first half of the match we were made aware by the control room that a male had collapsed outside of the stadium. I dispatched the nearest St John Ambulance first aid team to the scene.

“The information we were passed back by stewards, first on the scene, was incredibly helpful, as this meant the volunteers were able to assess the situation and prepare as they made their way there. Those seconds may seem like nothing but they are vital in a situation like this.

“On arrival of the first aid team – within 90 seconds of the call – I was notified that Bob was in cardiac arrest and CPR was being carried out together with the defibrillator being applied.

“After one shock Bob regained consciousness. He was then transported to hospital by the South East Coast Ambulance Service and was sitting up and talking.”

Mr Morris said: “From that initial calm-but-quick reaction of our stewards to the deployment of St John Ambulance staff and assessment of the situation from the stadium control room, everyone involved helped save Bob’s life.

“We have spent a number of years working with our staff and training for these types of situations – and while it is a traumatic experience for the patient and family and friends, it’s immensely pleasing to see the result.

“That calm and measured approach from all concerned meant Bob went from being in a life-threatening situation to a stable one, comfortable in an ambulance and transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital before the half-time whistle blew.”

The club’s crowd doctor Rob Galloway said: “We are proud of the record at the Amex. We have had seven cardiac arrests which have resulted in similar outcomes, which is an astonishing statistic, and the chance is something like one in 1.28 billion.

“Tragically, CPR isn’t even started in about half of cardiac arrests. Even for those patients that ambulance teams arrive in time to start CPR, only 9 per cent survive.

“A huge factor in Bob’s survival, and the other six patients who survived, was the quality of the AED defibrillators the club has invested in. These are far more sophisticated and allow shocks to be given straight after the last compression.”

The incredible work of club stewards, medical staff and @StJohnAmbulance saved the life of visiting #NFFC supporter Bob Whetton on Tuesday. 🙏

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) October 20, 2022

Professor Galloway explained how he arrived at the odds of more than one in a billion. He said: “Seven people have suffered cardiac arrests at the Amex since it opened, all of whom have survived.

“One in twenty people survive a cardiac arrest so, for each time a person has survived at the Amex, the odds times by twenty.

“Of course, this success is helped by a few other factors, not least the awareness of stewards, the incredible level of training employed by the club and the investment in state-of-the-art medical facilities at the Amex.”

Mr Whetton didn’t miss any goals. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.

To learn more about CPR training, click here.