Doctors bring to life teenager from near death

New Delhi: Timely intervention by doctors saved a 18-year-old boy’s life from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The teenager had lost his mother and 12-year-old sister to the same malfunction of the heart.

The doctors said after giving emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the teen’s grandfather rushed him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, a rhythm disorder caused by erratic electrical signals to the heart.

He was rushed to the chairperson, department of cardiology and electrophysiology, Medanta Heart Institute, Dr Balbir Singh, who saved him using timely medical attention and implanting an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) to prevent recurrence of SCA.

According to Dr Singh, his grandfather applied pressure on chest when he first started collapsing and then administered CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It is unfortunate that the teenager lost his family to the same malfunction

“It was a bold move to get him  (the teenager) time for treatment. We need more people capable of delivering emergency resuscitation procedures. Presently, one per cent of our population are trained for this,” said Dr Singh.

He claimed that SCA is a medical emergency, which can be fatal if not treated immediately.

“However, if the victim is given timely emergency care, the SCA could be reversed. The treatment protocol involves administration of CPR, shock treatment to the chest to reset the heart’s rhythm and advanced life support,” he added.

SCA is an abrupt failure of the heart due to the fast fluttering of the ventricless thus not allowing enough blood to be pumped out to the brain and the heart.

“Cardio vascular diseases are widespread and are increasing at an alarming rate in young children and youth caused by lifestyle choices, smoking and many other reasons. It is time to create public knowledge of CVDs and what to do in case of a sudden cardiac arrest, to prevent abysmal deaths and save precious young lives,” said the doctor.

‘We need more people capable of delivering CPR, emergency resuscitation. At present, one per cent of population are trained for this,’ said Dr Singh.