4,000 Participants Given Medical Help During Mumbai Marathon

Of the 40,485 participants in the Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, around 4000 people required medical aid.

One person suffered a cardiac arrest and 13 other participants were hospitalised for convulsions and dehydration. The rest suffered from muscle cramps and minor injuries.

Fifty two-year-old Kirit Ganatra's heart stopped beating, close to 500 metres from the finishing line. Ganatra, the resident of Powai, had participated in the half marathon spanning over 21 km and was running from Bandra to CST.

"Our volunteers at the finishing line saw him collapsing and rushed to his rescue," said Dr Vijay D'Silva, medical director, Asian Heart Institute (AHI), Bandra.

Medicos realised that Ganatra's heart had stopped beating when he collapsed. "It is hard to say as to why he suffered a cardiac arrest. It may have been giddiness from exhaustion or him tripping over and falling," said Dr D'Silva.

An eventual CT scan of the brain showed a swelling on his head.

"The patient is under observation for 48 hours. His condition is stable at the moment with normal blood pressure and heat beating. An angiography will be conducted to ascertain if there is any damage to the heart," said Dr Sriram Patki, intensivist at Bombay Hospital.

Similarly, Ashish Malkar, 27, a pharma company executive, who was running the 10-km corporate run collapsed near the finishing line. He is a known epileptic patient. Doctors said dehydration might have triggered off convulsions.

Of the 4,000 participants who were given medical aid, 14 had to be hospitalised. Ten percent participants required medical help this time, compared to eight last year.

The weather was pleasant and did not contribute much to dehydration. However, participants should maintain minimum intake of liquids, say doctors.



Source: Medindia