Mumbai: Man saves new-born son by using CPR taught at office drill

A short time drill on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at his workplace came to the help of a Bhayander man who could keep his 45-day-old son alive till they arrived at a hospital. The steel factory employee said that an ambulance was too expensive for him for transporting his son and had to use a regular car which did not have oxygen support.

Baby Priyom had been fighting with recurring episodes of fever since birth. As the family travelled from one hospital to another for a diagnosis, a physician suggested to hospitalize the baby in a local facility. The parents then made up their mind to shift him to Parel's BJ Wadia Hospital after his condition started to deteriorate in a Bhayander hospital.

Gudu Chaudhary remembered how Priyom battled for breath in the vehicle during the car ride from Bhayander to Wadia Hospital. "He was turning pale so I decided to take matters in my own hands. As the vehicle was not equipped with oxygen supply systems, I started rubbing his feet. I gave light compressions on his chest and blew air in his mouth. I followed the steps they had taught us in the factory at the workshop," he was quoted as saying by TOI.

"Our company had organized a workshop. My senior told me this could help us save lives. I never imagined this skill would save my own son," said Chaudhary. He said he performed CPR while trying to maintain his calm. "Once I gave the CPR, his condition stabilized a bit," he said.

Once they reached Wadia, the doctors observed that the baby was finding it difficult to breathe and rushed him to the paediatric ICU. He was attached to a ventilator immediately. The doctor’s initial diagnosis of a chest infection was proved wrong when a massive tumour in the heart revealed by an echocardiography.

"The baby was admitted on June 3 in a critical condition. Multiple investigations revealed a rare giant myxoma or a giant tumour that was occupying half of the upper chamber of the left side of the heart. We conducted a complex six-hour-long heart surgery to remove the tumour," said Dr Biswa Panda, head of paediatric cardiac surgery at Wadia, adding that the child was a miracle survivor of a tumour seen in one in a million cases world-wide.

CEO Dr Minnie Bodhanwala said that the father's quick thinking helped to save the child.