Doctor recounts frantic 40-minute bid to save James Gandolfini after teen son calls for help

New York Post ^ | June 20, 2013

[nickcarraway]

Doctors in Italy battled for 40 minutes to save the life of "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini after the actor's 13-year-old son called for help, according to new reports.

[dragnet2]

Would they do the same for a non-celebrity?

Not hardly...

[1rudeboy]

Thank you. I woke up this morning feeling a little less cynical than usual . . . .

[fatnotlazy]

I don’t know. When I arrested, they worked on me for about 30-35 minutes. I had 2 arrests, was revived once, arrested again, then revived for good.

And I’m no celebrity.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Sorry to say but attempts to revive any 51 year old male suffering from an MI would take this long or longer. My own father was dead before he hit the floor yet the hospital spent at least that long trying to revive him. He was no celebrity but he was my hero.
Come to think of it...he did bear quite a resemblance to George Peppard.

[VAFreedom]

yes, for non-celebrity.

but they wouldn’t make it to the news.

[livius]

They would. One of my daughters was a paramedic, and they tried to save every person they were called out to.

[PghBaldy]

It was hard losing my dd when I was 42. Can’t imagine what it would have been like when I was 13.

[livius]

That said, he was an excellent actor and did a fantastic job on that show. So he has left behind a wonderful film legacy.

[Winstons Julia]

Why so negative?

The report that I saw earlier said that he was alive when they loaded him in the ambulance.

I don’t think 40 minutes is overzealous before calling the code over.

[Winstons Julia]

Yes... and in a foreign country.

How terrible for the kid.

[ExpatCanuck]

I was 13 when I lost mine. That was 38 years ago. I still miss him.

[dragnet2]

I have no doubt about that. However, once it was made clear who the patient/victim was and this was probably immediate in this case, the level of care/treatment and efforts made will obviously go far above and beyond what Joe Blow gets when he hits the floor...

Those who would deny this, are not living in reality.

For example, just look at the level of health care for Senators, Congress, the super wealthy etc..As opposed to what Uncle Joe gets in Oklahoma..It's not even comparable...

[arbitrary.squid]

I guess Uncle Joe needs to grow some bootstraps and elevate himself to a higher position in society, then.

All the EMTs and ER personnel I know would be offended by your comments. They work just as hard to save people regardless of who the person is.

[dragnet2]

Has nothing to do with negativity.. If you think those in Congress, celebrities and the super-wealthy are afforded the exact same healthcare, treatment and medical efforts as Joe Jackball in Mississippi, I can't help ya.

Learn the difference between negativity and the brutal truth.

[UB355]

I enjoyed the Sopranos and find it ironic that this happened in Italy.

[dragnet2]

All the EMTs and ER personnel I know would be offended by your comments.

Ya ever see the stories where they wheel out the indigent and the down and out, through the hospital doors and put them on buses to the next town?

[Chuzzlewit]

beams to him up there... and I agree, he was a very good actor. I was hooked on the show, but I hated and loathed the characters..a scum TV show about scum people...

and don’t ask me why the heck I watched a show in which I detested the characters.... I suppose due to the story arc waiting to see what happened next.

it’s one of my faults.

[43north]

I have worked as a provider of emergency and acute care medicine for over 30 years. Most of the cardiac and trauma resuscitations I was involved with lasted 40 minutes or longer. The younger the victim, the longer the resuscitation effort. I personally knew just one of the victims and I pronounced him dead after 45 minutes of intensity - the rest of them were just Joe and Jane Blows

First responders really don’t care who you are or what you do. We aren’t trained that way and when the merde hits the ventilatteur, training takes command.

If you don’t believe that then you are hopelessly cynical.

[Political Junkie Too]

He's lucky he was in Italy. If it happened here, he'd have to wait for an okay from Kathleen Sebelius.

-PJ