One has cardiac arrest, the other has a seizure
Over 2,320 participants needed medical assistance in Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) 2018. Of them, two middle-aged men with severe health issues were admitted to Bombay Hospital.
One of them, Pramodsing Girase, suffered a cardiac arrest in the half marathon and had to be rushed to Bombay Hospital after initial treatment at the health camp organized by the Asian Heart Institute. The other participant, Kubra Sukesh, became disoriented and collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and seemed to have some kind of a partial paralysis due to electrolyte imbalance in the brain.
Talking about the two patients, Dr Vijay D’Silva, Medical Director, Asian Heart Institute (AHI) and in-charge of Medical Facilities at the marathon, said, “Both of them are in Bombay Hospital. One was admitted in the morning.
He suffered from cardiac arrest and his heart had stopped beating. We revived him with artificial resuscitation, cardiac massage and defibrillation (electric shock to revive the heart). Having successfully revived the heart, we shifted him to Bombay Hospital. He is now under observation. As of now, he is stable and conscious.”
Giving a health update about Sukesh, D’Silva stated that he finished his race, took his medal and was resting. “After that he suddenly became disoriented and collapsed. He was brought here in an ambulance. Basically, he had an issue in his brain and one side of his body has had some kind of semi-paralysis. It could be due to some imbalance which is causing a swelling in the brain. There could be a remote possibility of it being a stroke due to bleeding and clotting.”
Many runners complained of dehydration and felt they would have fared better had there been better drinking water arrangements. Others complained of muscle cramps, minor injuries and exhaustion.
Fifteen runners had dehydration and needed basic treatment at the base camp but four were severely dehydrated, said D’Silva. One of them were admitted at Hinduja Hospital, and another one in Saifee, while two of them were taken to Jaslok. One of the patients, who was taken to base camp after collapsing during the marathon, said, “I was close to the finish line when I fell. I hurt my hand. I am feeling better after they put me on glucose.”
“Sometimes, in their excitement, runners forget to drink enough water, which leads to dehydration and other health related issues,” explained Dr Anil Sharma, cardiologist, Bombay Hospital.
The hospital had deployed 11 cardiac ambulances and had eight 'mobile medics'. Asian Heart Institute provided medical aid to the participants. It had set up 11 medical aid stations along the route for any first aid requirements; two base camps (of 40 and 20 beds each) at the start/finish were equipped to handle all emergencies. Out of the 44, 407 participants, less than 5 per cent needed medical attention. “Last four years have proven to be the safest for Mumbai marathon. The Asian Heart Institutes' medical team has achieved zero percent mortality and we hope to replicate this perfect score every year,” said Dr Nilesh Gautam, Head Preventive Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Asian Heart Institute.
The organisers of TMM said participants do not sign any declaration or consent form with respect to health issues. “When someone registers for a marathon we make sure his health parameters are absolutely fine. The doctors’ team checks their medical history and only then they are allowed to run,” said the official.