One suffers cardiac arrest; 13 needed hospitalisations

Mumbai: One participant suffered from cardiac arrest while thirteen others required hospitalisation during Sunday’s marathon

Mumbai: One participant suffered from cardiac arrest while thirteen others required hospitalisation during Sunday’s marathon. The other hospital admissions were on account of injuries and dehydration, with the patients being discharged on the same day.

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Out of more than 55,000 participants in the event, 1983 needed medical assistance. More than 40% of them suffered from dehydration, eight of them had severe dehydration and three needed to be hospitalised. Forty of the runners were treated in the ambulances on the spot.

The man who got the heart attack was identified as Akbar Ali Pathan. He was attended to by the team from Asian Heart Institute and was the medical partner for the event, before being shifted to Lilavati Hospital. Dr Jalil Parkar from Lilavati Hospital said the patient was in the ICU and was likely to undergo an angiography on Monday.

Talking about the problems faced by other participants who required medical aid, the director of critical care and medical affairs at Asian Heart Institute and the medical director of the marathon Dr Vijay D’Silva said, “55% of cases were caused due to muscle cramps, muscle pain, and minor injuries. Less than 5% of cases were taken for hospitalisation.”

One of the participants of the event for several years, pulmonologist Dr Kumar Doshi said that the number of injuries over the years has come down as most participants come duly prepared with sufficient and proper training before the event. “The rule of thumb here is to not over exert oneself, especially with a lot of pollution around that is already causing extra stress to people’s hearts and lungs,” he said.

While adrenaline sometimes makes people overzealous, said Dr Doshi, one must look out for the tell-tale signs like muscle cramping, pain and breathlessness. “It is advisable to stop and take rest at such times instead of pushing oneself into a phase called ‘hitting the wall’ which is when one is feeling a blackout or numbness,” he said. Regular practice, he added, can help people understand their limits and their body’s responses.

Dr D’Silva also credited the early start and low temperatures on the race day for the lesser number of casualties than in previous editions.