Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies used Naloxone to help an “unresponsive” 22-year-old Isla Vista resident on Thursday, according to I.V. Foot Patrol Sergeant Daniel Calderon.

The victim was found unconscious in an apartment complex on the 6600 block of Abrego Road at approximately 11:50 a.m., Calderon said in a press release.

His friend reportedly came home that morning to find the man “unresponsive, not breathing, and turning purple,” Calderon said. The friend called dispatchers and then began administering CPR to the victim.

The police, fire and medical personnel arrived “within minutes” and administered the victim a dose of Naloxone nasal spray, believing the episode was caused by an opioid overdose, Calderon said.

Fire and medical personnel then began performing life-saving techniques on the victim until he began to breathe on his own.

The man was then transported to a local hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Calderon.

Naloxone hydrochloride, or NARCAN, is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that can counteract the effects of opioid overdoses, according to the official NARCAN website.

All Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies receive training on the use of Naloxone, Calderon said in the press release.

Deputies have utilized Naloxone over a dozen times within Santa Barbara County since the Naloxone program’s formation in April 2017.

Print