Cardiac arrests scare city into CPR training

Hyderabad: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is being held across an array of institutions, from private gyms to schools and police department to hospitals, after several incidents of cardiac failure deaths among younger people in the recent past.

Over the past fortnight, a 38-year-old man collapsed while playing badminton in Lalaguda, following which he was declared dead. This came after a police official collapsed while working out in a gym and a 19-year-old died while dancing at a wedding reception. The commonality among all the cases was cardiac arrest and subsequent failure.

Last Friday, a police constable saved the life of a passerby in Rajender Nagar by administering CPR.

Of late, even social media has been abuzz with posts on CPR, the step-wise process and mechanisms, including songs, to help time the compressions.

Dr Appireddy, HOD (emergency medicine), SLG Hospital, said he has been holding classes to teach public CPR since 2008.

“Every civilian should be made to learn CPR, which can save at least 30 to 40 per cent of lives during sudden heart attacks. India is witnessing many such cases because of lifestyle and environmental changes,” he said.

St Paul’s High School trained all teachers to administer CPR. “We have trained all our staff in CPR and other first aid. This is a practice we are following for several years,” principal Rev. Brother Sudhakar Reddy said.

Gyms are also holding CPR training along with fitness classes.

Soniya Gilada, MD of Gold’s Gym at Himayatnagar, said, “All our trainers are trained in administering CPR. We have invited medical professionals, who will be teaching CPR to trainees. We have scheduled this for several different batches.”

Traffic police personnel, who are in constant public contact, have also been trained.

G. Sudheer Babu, ACP (traffic), said, “All our officers are trained in CPR when they undergo police training. Even after that, refresher classes are held.”

Jignesh Doshi, president of the Gujarathi Society that oversees Pragathi Educational Society, said, “After seeing all these incidents, we have lined up CPR training in all our educational institutions.”

Aparna Nalluri, a television anchor, said, “Reels or videos circulating on social media are so creative and the CPR administration is so well picturised with a song that it’s easy even for children to learn.”