Heroin Overdoses Antidote

A kit with naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, is displayed at the South Jersey AIDS Alliance in Atlantic City, N.J. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014. An overdose of opiates essentially makes the body forget to breathe. Naloxone works by blocking the brain receptors that opiates latch onto and helping the body "remember" to take in air. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

(Associated Press file photo)

LUDINGTON, MI - For the first time ever, Ludington police on Tuesday used the opiate antidote Naloxone, also known as Narcan, to save a heroin overdose victim's life.

Ludington Police Chief Mark Barnett said two police officers, Sgt. Steve Wietrzykowski and Officer J.B. Wells, responded to the 300 block of East Melendy St. in Ludington at 1:41 a.m. March 15 on an assist to emergency medical services.

The officers found the victim, a 22-year-old man, having trouble breathing and showing other signs consistent with an opiate overdose.

The officers administered Naloxone while attaching an automatic defibrillator, then administered CPR until an ambulance arrived. The victim was then treated by paramedics and transported to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital.

When officers followed up later at the hospital, the victim was conscious and sitting up. An investigation found he had overdosed on heroin, Barnett said.

Medical staff told the officers that the Naloxone was "key in saving" the man's life, according to the police chief.

Ludington police officers and other law-enforcement officers from around Mason County were trained in Naloxone use in January. The medication and the training were paid for with a grant obtained by Josh Snyder of Community Mental Health.

The goal was to get Naloxone in the hands of law enforcement in a four-county area to combat opiate overdoses, which have been a nationwide trend.

It was the first time the Ludington Police Department has used Naloxone in a real-life situation, Barnett said.

John S. Hausman is a reporter for MLive. Email him at jhausman@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter.