A NURSE managed to save a man’s life before she even arrived at hospital after she saw him collapsed in a Chelmsford street.

Theresa Winter, a specialist cardiac nurse at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre based at Basildon Hospital, was one of the first on the scene when Colin Rushen collapsed while walking his dog in White Hart Lane.

Thankfully for Colin, 58, a logistics technician from Chelmsford, who had suffered a cardiac arrest, Theresa’s expertise meant she saved him from brain damage and possible death.

The crucial link in the ‘chain of survival’, as described by heart specialists, is a bystander who knows how to perform CPR.

Theresa said: “I was driving down White Hart Lane when I saw a man lying on the grass verge on the opposite side of the road.

“I did a U-turn and leapt out of the car. I did the normal checks on his airways, breathing and circulation - there were signs of agonal breathing with gasps and groaning and he was not conscious.

“I suspected cardiac arrest, and following my basic assessment in the absence of a pulse, I started CPR. During the first cycle he started to show signs of life.

“There were a few people around, including a male bystander who I’m sure had some resuscitation training. He helped me put Colin into the recovery position, but he stopped breathing again.

“I recommenced CPR until the first responders arrived by car. They had a defibrillator and shocked him four times – we had him back by the time the air ambulance team arrived. It was a beautiful moment when his pulse returned!”

When Theresa set off for work and checked in with the cardiology ward, she found out Colin had been referred there to unblock a blood vessel in his heart.

She said: “I knew then he would be under my care later. When he was wheeled into the intensive care it felt surreal. Looking at him on the trolley that night, having resuscitated him at the roadside, there was an instant bond.”

Colin, who is married to Sue and has two children Nicola, 22, and Liam, 18, was referred for bypass surgery and had an internal cardiac defibrillator fitted at the centre.

Colin said: “I don’t remember anything of the day I collapsed but when I first met Theresa and she told me the story I was amazed. Someone must have been looking after me that day. I keep thinking - what if I had walked a different route, or gone later - Theresa would not have been there.

“If I’d had a cardiac arrest in my garden no one would have known what to do. Now Nicola and Sue are determined to learn how to give CPR.”