Hyderabad: Teen complains of chest pain, collapses on the steps of examination centre
Hyderabad: A 19-year-old student collapsed on the steps of his Intermediate examination centre at a college in Secunderabad and died before he could be taken to hospital. Police said that the student, M. Gopi Raju, had suffered chest pain on the way to the exam and had taken a pain killer from a medical store before going to the centre.
Raju was a student of the vocational course, accounts and taxation, at the YMCA Junior College, Patny. The exam centre was at Sri Chaitanya College, Paradise.
Ramgopalpet inspector K. Pratap Reddy, who is investigating the case, said, “When Raju complained of chest pain, his friends suggested that they go to the hospital but he insisted on writing the exam. He bought a tablet and took it. Subsequently he suffered a heart stroke and was immediately shifted to Sunshine Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.”
According to his friends, Raju felt uncomfortable while taking the stairs and collapsed. He recovered to sit on the steps.
“He again complained of chest pain and his friends took him to the examination hall and made him to sit on a bench. Since he was complaining about the pain, he was made to lie on the floor in the corridor,” the inspector said. The college staff called an ambulance which allegedly came after half-an-hour. The teenager didn’t receive any first aid, he said. When the ambulance arrived, Raju was shifted to Sunshine Hospital where he was declared brought dead. “We are checking CCTV footage to see where he purchased the medicine from,” the inspector said.
Asked about the death, Dr Sai Ravi Shankar, general secretary, Cardiology Society of India, said, “This is not a case of sudden heart attack. The death was due to arrhythmia where the heart rate increases above 300 beats per minute suddenly and stops. Ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation can cause the heart to stop.”
He said the most likely reason was a genetic disorder like hypertrophied (enlargement) of the heart, long QT syndrome which affects repolarisation of the heart after a heartbeat or Brugada syndrome, a genetic disorder in which the electrical activity within the heart is abnormal.
“The other reason is premature coronary artery disease,” Dr Shankar said.
He added Raju could have felt symptoms of giddiness and palpitation but he had ignoeed it. His family should immediately undergo cardiac screening. They should avoid strenuous exercise and severe anxiety, he said. The police registered a suspicious death case under Section 174 of the CrPC.
“After the postmortem examination at Gandhi Hospital we will get a clear picture,” the inspector said
