Turkish doctor saves life on New York street

NEW YORK

Turkish cardiologist Doctor Erol Gürsoy, in New York for a professional training program, found himself in the middle of a real-life emergency just moments after landing in the city.

On April 29, while searching for his accommodation, Gürsoy witnessed a man clutching his chest before collapsing just a few meters ahead of him. Realizing it was a heart attack, Gürsoy rushed to the scene and immediately began performing CPR.

After several intense minutes of cardiac massage, the man’s pulse returned, just as the ambulance arrived. Gürsoy relayed the necessary medical information and began training at Mount Sinai’s Fuster Heart Hospital.

The patient he had resuscitated turned out to be Lee Shulman, a 73-year-old investment expert at Wall Street, known for its high-stress environment. Shulman was admitted to the very hospital where Gürsoy was training.

The next day, while reviewing patient files, Gürsoy recognized the medical record and confirmed the identity during a visit to the angiography lab.

Shulman’s daughter later approached Gürsoy with gratitude and said, “You are our hero.”

Gürsoy, who works as a cardiologist at Koç University Hospital in Istanbul, reflected on his intervention as a foreign doctor. “In the U.S., its risky for an unlicensed doctor to perform medical aid. But with a life at stake, I took that risk.”

One of Shulman’s arteries was 100 percent blocked, another 99 percent. Had Gürsoy not acted instantly, the outcome could have been fatal.