“I have no doubt, that had my trauma occurred somewhere else,
it’s likely I would not be here today,” – Gregory Moquin
In February of 2014, Gregory Moquin, of Richmond, VA, was in New York City on business when he realized he might be having a heart attack. He called the front desk from his hotel room and asked them to call 911. He propped open the door to his room, and, as Moquin says, “I don’t remember anything for several days after that.”
All involved in this case say what happened in those few days, and particularly the first few hours, was nothing short of a miracle.
In Moquin’s words, “I suffered my first ‘MI’ (myocardial infarction/heart attack) in the ambulance on the way to Bellevue Hospital. I ‘MI’ed a second time during the drive to the hospital, two more times in the ER and once more in the Cardio Cath Lab (Cardiac Catheterization Lab). Though the EMTs had filed a report that I was deceased, which tells me how traumatic that night was, the head ER doctor (Dr. William Goldberg) said I was a fighter, who never gave up.”
Dr. Goldberg calls Moquin’s case a “made-for-TV save” and adds, “It just was not Greg’s day to die.”
“Greg was dead when he arrived. His rhythms were extremely irregular and he had no pulse,” explained Dr. Goldberg. “We shocked him several times; we intubated him so he could breathe and after nearly a half hour working on him, he seemed to be stabilized. At one point, Greg actually woke up and was able to respond to my questions. He was fighting the intubation tube. That just doesn’t happen. Then his blood pressure dropped again and he was in cardiac arrest again.”
After another half hour of compressions—a total of three times that his heart stopped beating while at the hospital—Moquin was stabilized enough to get him into the cardiac catheterization lab to ultimately help him recover from this unusual business trip. As Dr. Goldberg says, “Only six to ten percent of people who go into cardiac arrest outside of the hospital survive. Greg was lucky.”
For the next few days as Moquin recovered in the CCU (Cardiac Care Unit), Dr. Goldberg would visit his patient. Moquin would tell Dr. Goldberg that his chest hurt from all the compressions and as Moquin says, “He would show me the arm muscles he developed from doing CPR on me for 1 ½ hours. He often referred to me as a miracle.”
Moquin believes his life was spared that day for a higher calling. “This experience has changed me forever. I do not take my health and happiness for granted. God gave me a second chance at life. Some have asked if God saved me for a purpose. Last fall, I saved a SIDS baby’s life with my CPR skills, which I was trained and certified for only two months prior to my heart attack. I’m sure there will be other people who will benefit from me in some way for the many years to come.”
Dr. Nate Link, Bellevue’s Medical Director and Moquin’s Attending Physician sums up the events, "He was an unlikely and most remarkable save. What Greg refers to as ‘MI’s were actually repeated cardiopulomonary arrests where his heart stopped beating. They resuscitated him for over an hour in the ED and debated whether to give up or continue. Incredibly they restored a heart rhythm when it seemed all but impossible. He recovered almost fully from being an inch from death."
Moquin recaps, “I have no doubt that had my trauma occurred somewhere else, it’s likely I would not be here today.”
WABC-TV Eyewitness News Video: Exclusive: Man reunites with hospital workers who saved his life
Top Photo: Patient, Gregory Moquin, with his care team
William Goldberg, MD, Emergency Medicine Physician, Claudia Serrano-Gomez, MD, Interventional Cardiology Physician, Gregory Moquin, Patient, Norma Keller, MD, Chief of Cardiology Service, Robert Roswell, MD, Director CCU
Steven Alexander, HHC Bellevue Executive Director, Lewis Goldfrank, MD, Emergency Medicine Physician, Gregory Moquin, Patient
William Goldberg, MD, Emergency Medicine Physician, Gregory Floyd, FDNY Paramedic, Gregory Moquin, Patient, Nate Link, MD, Medical Director
About Bellevue
Bellevue is a member of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) and is America's oldest hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU School of Medicine, Bellevue is a major referral center for highly complex cases. The 828-bed hospital has more than 4,000 employees and works closely with interdisciplinary staff throughout the hospital. Its emergency room sees more than 125,000 visits every year. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Comprehensive Children's Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services, twitter.com/bellevuehosp.
About HHC
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system, the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country, and one of the New York area's largest providers of government-sponsored health insurance, MetroPlus Health Plan, the plan of choice for nearly half a million New Yorkers. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission's John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc or find us on facebook.com/nycHHC, twitter.com/HHCnyc and twitter.com/bellevuehosp.
Contact: Bellevue Public Affairs, 212-562-4516
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