Delhi: Bike-borne paramedics to help heart patients

The Asian Age.  | sanjay kaw

Metros, Delhi

A senior cardiologist said that 90 per cent of tobacco chewing incidence in the world are reported in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

AIIMS

New Delhi: If a person suffers heart attack or chest pain within 3 km of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), a pair of motorcycle-borne trained paramedic nurses under the Mission DELHI (Delhi Emergency Life Heart-Attack Initiative) would be the first responders for treating such patients within 10 minutes.

Statistics reveal that the average age of the occurrence of cardiac arrest in the Indian population is 53 to 55 years, about 10 years less than that in the United States and Europe where it is 63 or 64.

Genetic predisposition is an important cause for cardiac arrest and the high rate of smoking and chewing tobacco in India also contribute in a large way to it.

A senior cardiologist said that 90 per cent of tobacco chewing incidence in the world are reported in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

About Mission ‘DELHI,’ AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said that soon after receiving a call about heart attack, a pair of trained paramedics would rush to the spot, gather basic information on the patient’s medical history, conduct a quick medical examination, conduct ECG, and establish a virtual connection with cardiologists at AIIMS and deliver expert medical advice and treatment.

While the trained paramedics would be providing emergency treatment, a vehicle of the Centralised Ambulance Trauma Services (CATS) would arrive at the site and take away the patient for further treatment. Even as the patient is on way to the hospital, doctors at AIIMS control centre will evaluate the data received from the nurses to establish further course of treatment.

The ICMR director general, Balram Bhargava, said his organisation has signed a memorandum with CATS for this project.

The AIIMS director said that the main idea of Mission ‘DELHI’ is to reach with medical help much faster, given the high-density traffic situation in the city where movement of four-wheeler ambulances becomes difficult. Motorcycle ambulances can reach people in narrow lanes in congested areas as well. This pilot project has been launched in a radius of 3 km around AIIMS for dealing with emergency heart attack.

Read more...