Wednesday, August 17, 2016

A Real Story--From Clinical Death to Life!


Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 3:58 PM
Angush was listless, with no pulse, no breathing
We often hear the poor quality of medical education today and often brand institutions on ‘hearsay’ complaints. But the case may be different.
Here is a story of young medical students Allen, Karanvir, Sanal, Akash & Nishit from Delhi, Ludhiana, Kochi & Odissa respectively, of first year who practiced what they were taught in their first year and saved the life of a young boy after more than 1 hour of cardiac arrest with no breathing and pulse following an apparent electrocution in the city of Ludhiana.
Ankush a 20 year old 1st year medical student of CMC who went with his friends to a park in the city in the evening was suddenly found lying on the rail tracks of a toy train in the park. When his friends noticed that he was not with them & turned back, only to see him lie flat on the small rail track. They called onto him to get up as a toy train was about 100 meters away. There was no response and five of them went to see what happened when someone nearby said, “watchout” he may have got electrocuted from the plate in between the rail tracks.
One of the boys had instant courage to pull him out after telling the others, if he also gets a shock, kick them both out with their shoes?!!
But, providence, nothing happened to the young savior, but Angush was listless, with no pulse, no breathing.
The boys started cardiac massage, the other mouth to mouth breathing and the third kept feeling the pulse. The others took turns to massage and breathe. When they saw that Angush suddenly gasped, was encouraged to continue with the process. Few minutes later a feeble pulse was felt!!
Then the boys decided to bring him to CMC emergency No Ambulance around, they carried him on to an autorickshaw on the road and three of them sat with him while two others used their moped & scooter to pilot the auto rickshaw through the busy crowded streets & Jagraon bridge. The pulse disappeared while in the autorickshaw!!  The boys did’nt loose heart but continued to massage and breathe for their friend mouth to mouth in turns.
After nearly 25- 30 minutes they reached CMC Hospital Casualty Services. All the doctors and seniors attended on him immediately, it was around 08:15 pm then he was intubated, i.e. tube inserted in his trachea for breathing, and cardiac resuscitation started. In about 10 minutes the heart started beating again, thanks to the effort of the cardiologists neurosurgeons, and other emergency doctors there. He was totally unconscious & severely acidotic due to prolonged stoppage of the heart.
With hope, he was managed in the ICU, with intensivist, specialists in medicine, cardiology, neurology and nephrology attending on him. He was given due attention to vital parameters and correcting each deficiency and maintaining adequate temperature.
3 days later he started opening his eyes & responding to calls. It is now 10 days he is out of the ICU, eating well and has started to walk. But he doesn’t remember exactly what happened to him!!
A collective effort, the students practicing what they were taught irrespective of their brilliance, often overstated, and an example to many others to act in an emergency & help out others in need.  I do hope it will also be a lesson for all, including ourselves to have our roads maintained without encroachment to allow vehicles to move, for we do not know how many suffer silent death because of our apathy to enforce discipline on the roads & public places.
A word of thanks to Mr. Rai of the Hero Cycles & team who have now barricaded the rail tracks.

Director 
CMC & Hospital
Ludhiana

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