The untimely demise of Dr. Nitin Pandey,Professor at the  SMS Hospital, Jaipur, has left the medical community in Rajasthan in shock. Dr. Nitin Pandey, who was  working as Professor in the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation department, succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 49.

His friends Dr. Vivek Sabu,Dr Manish Mathur reminisce about Dr. Nitin being an excellent colleague and friend. Dr. Gautam Sharma , who recently met him, attested to Dr. Nitin's fitness and revealed his passion for sports, even mentoring young medical students in cricket.

Dr. Nitin, an alumnus of RNT Medical College, pursued MBBS in 1998. His batchmate Dr Sudip Chowdhary, CTVS Surgeon expressed sorrow at his untimely demise and remembered him not just as a skilled professional but also as a talented singer who actively participated in cultural events during college. “Feels like a part of me died”, says Dr Sudip while fondly remembering the memories of his college friend with whom he shared the passion of singing in college.

The question arises again whether such untimely deaths, including Dr. Nitin's, could be related to COVID or the COVID vaccine. Globally, sudden cardiac arrest and death pose a challenge, emphasizing the need for CPR training for every citizen.

Dr Archana Gokhroo ,Cardiologist at RNT Medical College Udaipur informs that sudden deaths are sometimes not that sudden as we often assume, many individuals have warning symptoms that they ignore either due to lack of knowledge or due to taking it lightly.There are many risk factors that could be managed in time provided we know about these risk factors and even if we don't know the risk factors, regular health check ups can reveal them and can be managed.Sometimes family history also helps in early diagnosis and treatment.

 MI has two types of immediate complications-

1 Electrical and

2.Mechanical

Individuals who have VF immediately after MI may not reach the hospital.

Knowledge of this complication and availability of Automated External Deffibrilators (AEDs) at public places like railway station,airports,malls,stadium etc could prevent these sudden cardiac deaths.

Dr Ritu Sharma, Additional Director Anaesthesiology at Fortis Hospital Jaipur says that the mortality in sudden cardiac arrest in India is approximately 4280/100,000.

70% of out of hospital cardiac arrests occur at home and 90% who suffered out -of -hospital cardiac arrest die.

The ‘Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists’ has developed resuscitation guidelines for Out of hospital cardiac arrest - Compression Only Life Support (COLS) guidelines.

These guidelines are very simple, easy to remember and even a minimally trained lay person / bystander can perform COLS.In my opinion incorporating COLS guidelines in school curriculum is the need of the hour, says Dr Ritu.

Dr. Sharda Jain, a senior gynecologist in Delhi, has urged all the medical associations to actively pursue this sensitive issue with government.

Dr VK Jain, Senior Physician and Ex Secretary of Rajasthan State IMA branch has also advocated training of all healthcare workers, medical students and high school students in basic life support. Around 15 percent of deaths worldwide happen due to sudden cardiac arrest and timely effective CPR can save many lives, says Dr VK Jain.

United Private Clinics & Hospitals Association of Rajasthan (UPCHAR) has written a mail to Chief Minister of Rajasthan to include CPR and basic life support chapters in the curriculum for classes eleven and twelve. Dr Raj Shekhar Yadav, state Convenor of UPCHAR says that Basic Life Support training is a fundamental skill that every healthcare provider should possess. It equips them with the necessary knowledge and skills to respond effectively in emergency situations, such as cardiac arrest, choking, or other life-threatening incidents.The ability to provide immediate assistance can make the difference between life and death, and this training can significantly improve patient outcomes,says Dr Yadav

Also read:  Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Awareness Program

UPCHAR has urged government for mandatory BLS training for medical professionals and nurses, BLS training in schools and has also requested government to initiate a public awareness campaign about CPR/BLS.