Indian-American student saved in UK after heart stopped six times
London (PTI): An Indian American student studying in London has decided to choose a career in medicine after the UK's National Health Service (NHS) medics saved his life after his heart stopped six times.
Atul Rao, from Seattle and a student from Baylor University in Texas, developed a blood clot in his lungs which stopped the blood flow through his heart, a condition called pulmonary embolism, and caused him to go into cardiac arrest.
After he was rushed to London's Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Hammersmith Hospital's heart attack centre, scans confirmed that blood clots in the lungs were blocking the flow of blood from the heart. Recently, Rao returned to the hospital in London with his parents to express his gratitude.
"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," Rao told the NHS medics during the visit last month.
"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," he said.
Rao is in his final year of a pre-med degree which would allow him to go on to a further degree to practice medicine. On July 27, he was discovered collapsed by fellow students who raised the alarm before an Imperial College London security guard began to give him chest compressions (CPR) in the minutes ahead of London Ambulance Service crews arrived.
"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," said Nick Sillett, the ambulance service's paramedic.
Staff at Hammersmith Hospital worked tirelessly through the night to keep Atul alive and he was still critically unwell when he was transported to St. Thomas' Hospital the following day in case he needed access to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) a life support system which can fully replace the work of the heart and lungs so that patients have time to heal.
The clot-busting drugs had begun to work and with the help of other life support machines, he was able to recover without the need for ECMO.
"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," said Dr Louit Thakuria, critical care consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust's Hammersmith Hospital.
Atul's father Ajay, who works at a software company in the US, recalled his agonising flight over to London after knowing decisions were being made which could affect whether his son would live.
"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," he said.
Mother Srividhya, a maths professor in Seattle, added: "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."
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
