Ambulance UK October 2023

NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK – OCTOBER
He said:
“Before this happened, I was
starting to wonder if I was doing
the right thing doing medicine
and whether I should be going
into business instead. But the
minute I woke up I knew. I want to
use my time in a productive way. I
want to use my second chance at
life by helping others.”
His mum, Srividhya, a Maths
professor in Seattle, said:
“A really bad thing happened in a
really good place. Everyone who
worked around Atul wanted him
to be well. It’s clear they love and
care about what they do. I feel
blessed to be here and I’m so
thankful and grateful to you for
giving my son back to me.
“I have gained perspective about
life and he gets to see it at such a
young age. His life has changed,
and it’s had a profound impact.”
Atul agrees. Having spent his 21st
birthday in a hospital bed with his
parents and some student friends
he said:
“Most 21-year-olds want to go out
drinking. Given how dangerous
my situation had been, I was
grateful to be here and have
people who love me around
to celebrate.”
Dad Ajay, who works at a
software company, remembered
how London Ambulance Service
Advanced Paramedic (APP) Nick
Sillett broke the news that Atul
was critically ill from the scene via
his son’s mobile. He showed Nick
the barely legible notes he took
during the call, his hands shaking,
and spoke of his agonising flight
over to London after knowing
decisions were being made which
could affect whether his son
would live.
Remembering a turning point,
Ajay said:
“At the start Atul was sedated. I
used to call St Thomas’ Hospital
ICU in the mornings after the
doctors’ rounds to ask for news
and one morning they said ‘hold
on’. Then I heard Atul come on
and say ‘hey, dad’. It was the
sweetest ‘hey, dad’ I have ever
heard and I wanted to run to him
right away.”
Thanking the NHS staff, he
added:
“I’m not exaggerating,
Hammersmith and St Thomas’
hospitals have become places
of worship for us. We will be
coming here whenever we come
to London.
“It was the heroic efforts of
London Ambulance Service,
the amazing medical teams of
Hammersmith, St Thomas’ and
Royal Brompton that saved him
from this life-threatening series
of events.”
The couple did not have much
time to appreciate London on
this first visit. So concerned
were they about their son in
the immediate aftermath of his
recovery, they walked by Big Ben
for several days on the way to St
Thomas’ Hospital before realising
they were passing the iconic
landmark. Every time they heard
an ambulance pass they say
they were praying for the patients
inside and the medics who would
be caring for them.
APP Nick Sillett, said the reunion
had been very emotional.
“The last time I saw Atul I didn’t
think he was going to survive. To
meet him again and speak with
his parents after giving them such
terrible news was a very special
moment in my 18 years in this
job. Knowing we managed to
save Atul gives me courage and
hope should I encounter that
situation again.
“The LAS crew first on scene
also were the real heroes in
recognising so quickly he was in
cardiac arrest and managed to
give him a chance.”
Dr Louit Thakuria, a Critical
Care Consultant at Imperial
College Healthcare NHS Trust’s
Hammersmith Hospital, said:
“It’s not often you see 20-yearolds
have a cardiac arrest and it’s
even more rare to see someone
who has had six cardiac arrests in
one day make such a miraculous
recovery.
“This was a real team effort and
so many people helped ensure
Atul was able to be here. It’s a
privilege to be a part of that and
hear that you have helped make
such a positive impact.”
Dan Taylor, an intensive care and
ECMO consultant at Guy’s and
St Thomas’ NHS Foundation
Trust, said:
“Atul had a very challenging
combination of problems which
required input from multiple
specialist teams. Thankfully his
heart failure improved and he was
able to avoid ECMO, but he spent
several days critically ill in the
intensive care unit.
“The whole team are delighted
that Atul has made such a great
recovery, and we wish him the
very best in his medical career in
the future.”
There are many known risk
factors that can contribute to
the development of a pulmonary
embolism, like prolonged
air travel. Now that Atul has
recovered from his cardiac
arrests, he is having tests to
investigate the underlying
cause for the formation of this
dangerous blood clot in the
lungs. Once doctors agreed
it was safe, he was allowed to
return home to the US.
His case shows the importance
of receiving good chest
compressions in the immediate
aftermath of a cardiac arrest.
London Ambulance Service’s
London Lifesavers campaign
aims to train up thousands of
Londoners with the knowledge
and confidence to act in an
emergency situation until
ambulance crews arrive at
the scene. Evidence shows
that in cardiac arrest, every
second counts and early chest
compressions and defibrillation
can more than double someone’s
chances of survival.
Meanwhile, with support from
Imperial Health Charity, Imperial
College Healthcare are currently
working to develop an ECMO
service at Hammersmith Hospital
to give critically ill patients the
best chance of survival. ECMO is
a highly specialised life-support
machine that can completely
replace the function of the failing
heart and lungs in an emergency.
The charity has funded one
ECMO machine and a training
programme for our ICU and
cardiology teams, and is currently
raising funds to purchase two
additional ECMO machines in
order to provide this life-saving
service for patients.
In England 28,000 patients have
a cardiac arrest that requires
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) outside of hospital, and
only 8.6% of those patients
will typically survive(1). Recent
studies have shown that for
some patients who are suitable
for ECMO therapy, the number
of potential survivors could rise
to 43%(2).
Find out more about Imperial
Health Charity’s ECMO Appeal
on the charity’s website.
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