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Mysuru: A timely intervention saved the life of 35-year-old Girish, a cab driver who was rushed to Columbia Asia Hospital with a complaint of chest and back pain. A young man received a second chance to live and was brought back from the brink of an imminent danger.
Girish who resides in Beguru which is nearly 45 km from Mysuru came to the Emergency Room and suddenly fell unconscious. There was no readable pulse or blood pressure. The patient had a cardiac arrest. The emergency room team of doctors acted swiftly and initiated immediate measures of advanced life support. Girish received continues cardiac massage for about 45 minutes and artificial ventilation. He received 12 direct electrical shocks for revival of heart beat. He gradually stabilised and woke up after a few hours, pulse, BP and respiration gradually improved. Once stable, the ventilator support was gradually reduced. Girish was shifted to ward after 24 hours and discharged after 3 days.
The doctors and the emergency team members made a sustained effort and continued supportive measures for a long time, as the patient was young. With concerted team efforts, his cardiac rhythm was re-established. ECG records confirmed a heart attack. Patient was immediately taken up for primary angioplasty which is a life saving heart procedure for patients with heart attack. “One of the main blood vessels of the heart was completely blocked. Blood clots were removed and a stent was placed to restore flow in the coronary artery. The patient was a chronic smoker, which was the main reason for his heart attack”, added Dr. C B Keshavamurthy, Consultant Interventional Cardiology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Mysore. The most important message from this narrative is that smoking is one of the most common causes of heart attacks in the younger population in our country, he said.
“About 25 percent of heart attacks in our country occur in people below 40 years and 90 percent of young heart attack victims are smokers. Apart from killing millions of people with heart attacks, smoking also causes a wide variety of cancers, strokes, impotence, lung problems and a host of deadly disorders. Our sincere appeal to everyone, especially the young population, is to refrain from smoking and stay away from all types of tobacco”, appealed Dr. Keshavamurthy.
