Driver suffers heart attack, stops bus, saved by nurse

Mohali, February 18

A nurse from Fortis Hospital, Kangra, rescued a bus driver of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) when he suffered heart attack. Nurse Kajal, who was travelling in the bus, rescued him using basic life support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques.

The incident has brought forth the need for everyone to be trained in BLS and CPR techniques.

Colonel HS Bhagat (Retd), facility director of Fortis, Kangra, said the incident happened last week when the driver on the Kangra-Dharamsala route felt problem. The driver stopped the bus near Purana Matour and fainted. It did not take long for the hospital staff nurse, who was sitting behind the driver’s seat, to understand the seriousness of the matter. She checked his pulse which had slowed down and the driver had stopped breathing.

Showing the presence of mind, she started administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and continued the process for about 15 minutes. She also gave artificial respiration to the patient, reviving the heartbeat. After the driver regained consciousness, she advised him to get admitted to hospital soon.

Dr Akhil Gautam and Dr Amit Sharma, cardiologists at Fortis-Kangra, said in this situation, the initial period is crucial. They also praised the courage of the driver by stating that if he had not applied the brakes, it could have resulted in a serious mishap, causing loss to many precious lives. — TNS

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