DENTIST Michael Cahill's emergency training came in handy when a man collapsed and stopped breathing at his local gym.

Mr Cahill says he has long been committed to life-support training for staff at his Bolton surgery in Higher Bridge Street, and now it has paid off.

"It was a very scary situation but I didn't have time to think about it really," he said. "The training just kicked in."

Mr Cahill, a keen runner who visits DW gym in Wigan four times a week, heard someone shouting for help as a man lay collapsed on the floor.

"He was very grey and sweaty. I checked his pulse and he was still breathing.

"A lady came along who is a nurse and together we looked after him until the ambulance came.

"As we were waiting, though, he suddenly stopped breathing so, between us, we gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.

"Then we used a defibrillator to shock him, and he suddenly gasped and started breathing again.

"The ambulance came just afterwards and took him to hospital and I understand that he's now OK.

"I was fine while this was all going on but I started shaking afterwards. It did underline for me, though, just how important life-support training is."

Mr Cahill, aged 52 and a dentist since 1985, has had regular life-support training for the past 20 years and organises refresher training for all 13 of his staff every year.

"I've always felt it was very important for everyone - not just the clinical staff but receptionists as well - to have this training and to be aware of what can happen and how to react," he said.

"The training covers a whole range of medical emergencies from fainting and diabetes to epilepsy, heart attacks choking and anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction that can prove fatal)."

Mr Cahill said that the surgery had only had to deal with a medical emergency once - when practice manager Gayna Horridge had noticed that a patient suddenly looked very grey and poorly.

She had called for help and Mr Cahill and other staff were able to look after him until an ambulance came.

"He was still breathing when the ambulance arrived but he had three cardiac arrests during the journey to the hospital," added Mr Cahill. "Fortunately, he recovered well."

He felt that life-support training was "really important" and said his dental practice will soon getting a defibrillator.