39-year-old Sarbjit Singh, who was clinically dead for 45 mins in Birmingham City Hospital in 2020, was brought back to life, after cardiologist Dr Arijit Ghosh resuscitated him using double sequential external defibrillation, a unique method rarely used in the UK, despite theoretical knowledge since 1993. Clinical death reflects when the heart stops pumping blood to vital organs and there is no blood pressure or pulse.
Now 42, Sarbjit has made complete recovery, and back to living a healthy life with wife and three children, working since April 2021. He is currently training for the Wolf Run in Warwickshire, which is an endurance race completed with a combination of three types of obstacles.
Sarbjit, a health and wellbeing officer from Great Barr, was Covid-19 positive and recovering at home for 10 days when he suffered chest pain, caused by a blood clot in his artery, that triggered a massive cardiac arrest. In the early hours of 26 November 2020, his wife Raj Kaur, who was then 5 months pregnant with their third daughter, called for an ambulance.
Paramedics arrived within minutes and defibrillated him back to restoration of blood flow and Sarbjit was taken to the Emergency Department in the hospital, but he had further cardiac arrests there.
After 45 mins of advanced resuscitation without success, the patient had no blood pressure or pulse and the team were considering stopping the efforts, though he was on the ventilator to maintain oxygen level to the brain, when Dr Ghosh stepped in.
Dr Ghosh, who is currently in Kolkata on a work trip, spoke to Asian Voice exclusively. He said, “I did a lot of research previously on double sequential external defibrillation and watched videos on the method used in the US. So I had the working knowledge of it.
“Mr Singh had refractory cardiac arrest which didn’t respond to 10 shocks and the drugs used. The word refractory cardiac arrest means when patients fail to respond to 3 shocks. There is no guideline or no treatment for refractory cardiac arrest.
“I had to think out of the box and apply this double sequential external defibrillation based on available evidence that I had at that point of time. There was no other option. Results of original research work that started in 2018 as a pilot study, came out on 6 November 2022 in NEJM which supports my technique that I had used on 26 November 2020 and Resuscitation Council of UK has welcomed the research finding and considering to be the new guideline for refractory cardiac arrest. Therefore, it has now become an innovative pioneering technique.
“I did this procedure as a last resort for Mr Singh. I knew he had a young family and I could revert the patient back to life with blood pressure and pulse. Then Mr Singh was rushed to cardiac cath lab where emergency coronary angioplasty was done. As patient didn’t have blood supply to any organ of the body for 45 mins therefore, he required two months of ITU stay and discharged home with good cerebral performance.
“While we had some doubts initially whether he would have full recovery or not, good cardiopulmonary resuscitation and ITU care ensured he went home with intact neurology.”
Mr Singh told the BBC, “The reason my life’s changed is I feel more empowered now than I ever have. I’ve got such appreciation for breath and for life and a heartbeat.”
Dr Ghosh added, “Mr Singh’s will to live and mental strength took him through his recovery. I am pleased that he is doing so well.”
