E-Paper
Timely CPR saves heart patient’s life on Kalka Shatabdi near Kurukshetra
On being alerted, the railway staff, including the railway protection force (RPF), rushed to his seat in the middle of the C-8 coach, when he was sweating heavily and complaining of uneasiness, according to doctors, a typical sign of a heart stroke
Alert railway staff, co-passengers as volunteers and timely CPR saved the life of a 61-year-old heart patient who was on-board Kalka Shatabdi Express on Wednesday morning.
The man, Narender Mohan Gupta, was later operated and a coronary artery stent was inserted at a private hospital in Mohali after doctors diagnosed a 90% blockage in his heart.
Gupta, a resident of Manimajra, had boarded the train at Chandigarh railway station and his health deteriorated at 8 am, minutes after the train crossed Shahabad Markanda, a non-stopping station.
On being alerted, the railway staff, including the railway protection force (RPF), rushed to his seat in the middle of the C-8 coach, when he was sweating heavily and complaining of uneasiness, according to doctors, a typical sign of a heart stroke.
While he was being attended, deputy train superintendent (DTS) Bhupinder Singh reached and informed the staff to make an announcement calling for doctors in the train to help in the case, said head constable Rajinder Dahiya from the RPF who was among the first responders with constable Neha.
This is when several doctors travelling on the train hurried as volunteers to the spot. Among them was Dr Manoj Gupta, a cardiologist from Panchkula.
“I was in C-6 coach when I heard the announcement and rushed to attend him. A diabetic patient, who had undergone a bypass surgery last year, was sweating heavily. He was given a Frooti and asked to loosen his clothes. We left after he was feeling comfortable,” Dr Gupta told HT over the phone.
However, a few minutes later, the patient reportedly collapsed and doctors were called again.
Dr Gupta, with the help of RPF cops and other volunteers, performed a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him, as he became unconscious.
“He regained consciousness and we got back to our seats. But when the train was about to reach Kurukshetra, he again got unconscious and CPR was performed again at his seat,” the doctor said.
DTS Singh said the patient was reluctant to travel to Delhi but on the advice of Dr Gupta, the on-duty station master at Kurukshetra railway station, Shankar Lal Meena, was informed and the patient was de-boarded at the station and his family was informed.
With an ambulance on stand-by, the train halted for eight minutes than its normal two-minute stoppage and the patient was handed over to the RPF staff that took him to a local hospital.
When reached out for a comment, Gupta’s daughter said after some tests in Kurukshetra, his father was referred to an Ambala hospital from where he was taken to Fortis Hospital in Mohali.
“He underwent a stent insertion procedure as there was a major heart blockage due to a heart stroke on the train. I’m thankful to Dr Gupta and all the staff for timely attending him,” she told the HT.
