Bystanders and Ottawa paramedic help man in cardiac arrest on Stittsville soccer pitch

Ottawa paramedics Natascha, Carly, Colin and Dan resuscitated a soccer player who collapsed on a field in Stittsville. (Ottawa Paramedic Service/X)

Bystanders and Ottawa paramedics helped resuscitate a man who went into cardiac arrest while playing soccer over the weekend.

The man was at the OZ Dome in Stittsville Saturday afternoon when the man collapsed. Paramedics were called at around 2:20 p.m.

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Bystanders performed CPR and gave the man a shock from an on-site defibrillator before paramedics arrived and took over care.

They were able to resuscitate the man and he was taken to hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service tweeted that paramedics Natasha, Carly, Colin and Dan responded to the scene, thanking the bystanders who helped.

"This is the chain of survival at its best," the post said.

The City of Ottawa says there are more than 800 automated external defibrillators (AED) in the city, which analyze hearth rhythms of patients and tell operators to deliver an electric shock if the patient is at risk. The device can be used by anyone and uses a recorded message to give step-by-step instructions. The AED analyses the heart and will only deliver a shock to the patient if it detects the presence of cardiac rhythms that require defibrillation. If the patient is not in cardiac arrest, the AED will not deliver the shock.