Hospital Custodian Rescues Anesthesiologist

A hospital custodian is credited with helping to save a physician’s life when he spotted the anesthesiologist passed out on the floor, KDKA-TV reports.

Kendal Hofstad, a custodian at Alomere Health in Alexandria, Minnesota, was collecting trash throughout the hospital one night last spring when he spotted what he thought were some discarded scrubs on the floor. Upon taken a closer look, he discovered Dr. Amos Szainer, an anesthesiologist at the hospital, unconscious on the floor.

Szainer had been experiencing flu-like symptoms and decided to go to the hospital that night to check himself out on a monitor. That is the last thing he remembers.

After finding Szainer, Hofstad immediately called for help. After 12 minutes of CPR, Szainer was transported to CentraCare in St. Cloud, Minnesota where a doctor found a large blood clot in one of his heart’s arteries.  After the cardiologist placed a stent in Szainer and used new technology to help his heart pump, the anesthesiologist made a full recovery.

Last week, Szainer, who is back at work, took time out of his schedule to thank everyone involved with saving his life, including the custodian.

“When this happened, we became better friends, definitely,” Szainer said of Hofstad. “I’m real happy for [Szainer] and I’m glad he’s doing well,” Hofstad said.