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Kolkata : Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals Kolkata has taken this important initiative to create awareness about sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is a disease where the electrical circuits of the heart go haywire and heart suddenly stops beating. People suffering from sudden cardiac arrest fall suddenly unconscious and this could be happen anywhere to anyone as healthy as fit athletes as well. In case of a heart attack which is caused by the blockages in the heart arteries, the patient complains of chest pain, breathlessness, uncomfortableness, nausea and profuse sweating. He/she can even express the need to take him/her to a hospital and there is time to reach a hospital. But, sudden cardiac arrest as the name suggests is very sudden and in most cases the patient has no symptom. Hence the people around him can only save his life by trying to make him conscious. Cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique that’s useful in many emergencies in which someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. For an untrained person, who is about the give CPR to a patient, The American Heart Association recommends starting CPR with hard and fast uninterrupted chest compressions of 100 to 120 a minute until paramedics arrive. If a trained person, doesn’t find pulse and breathing in the patient he must begin CPR within 10 seconds – 30 chest compressions before giving two rescue breaths. This can be done on adults, children and infants needing CPR, but not new-borns (infants up to 4 weeks old).

Dr. Aftab Khan, Consultant Cardiologist and Electro Physiologist, Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals Kolkata “When the heart suddenly stops, the brain, which is the vital organ to run the body stops receiving blood and if the brain doesn’t receive blood for as long as 3 minutes, it can go into permanent damaged mode, what is known as coma and within 10 minutes this patient can die. Since time is too short for finding a doctor or reaching any hospital, it’s very crucial for people around the patient to revive him.”

About the initiative of creating awareness about sudden cardiac arrest, Dr. Surinder Singh Bhatia, DMS, Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals Kolkata, said “1 million people in India get affected by sudden cardiac arrests and every hour about two people in the city suffer from sudden cardiac arrest. Our aim is to make people aware about how to treat those patients immediately till they are taken to any hospital.” CPR can keep oxygen-rich blood flowing to the brain and other organs until emergency medical treatment can restore a typical heart rhythm. To give CPR the correct steps to remember are CAB. C- compressions, A- opening Airway and B- rescue Breathing.

Process of CPR : It’s important to make the patient lie down on his or her back on a firm surface and using both hands one needs to push down hard and fast in a specific way on the patient’s chest. Compressions are the most important step in CPR. The lower palm (heel) of the hand should be placed on the patient’s chest, between the nipples and the other hand on top of the first hand. Keeping elbows straight and positioning shoulders above the hands the process is to push straight down on (compress) the chest at least 2 inches (5 centimeters) but no more than 2.4 inches (6 centimeters). Using the entire body weight (not just arms) when doing compressions, is very crucial.

A trained person in giving CPR can also give rescue breathing after 30 compressions. The palms should be put on the person’s forehead to gently tilt the head back and with the other hand, the chin should be gently lifted forward to open the airway. After opening the airway the nostrils should be shut for mouth-to-mouth breathing.

About Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. (AHEL)

It was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap C. Reddy made a pioneering endeavour by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospitals in Chennai.  Now, as Asia’s foremost trusted integrated healthcare group, its presence includes over 12,000 beds across 71 Hospitals, 3,300 Pharmacies, over 90 Primary Care Clinics  and 150 diagnostic centers, 110  plus Telemedicine Centres, over 15 medical education centres and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research, Apollo Hospitals has been at the forefront of new medical advancements with the most recent investment being the commissioning of South East Asia’s very first Proton Therapy Centre in Chennai.

Every four days, the Apollo Hospitals Group touches a million lives, in its mission to bring healthcare of international standards within the reach of every individual. In a rare honour, the Government of India had issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For 35 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Its hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals in the country for advanced medical services.