Railways roll out poster-perfect idea to give CPR instructions

The new Bombardier locals now have a step-by-step instruction manual on how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

The Railways have hit upon a poster-perfect idea to equip Mumbaikars taking the local trains to deal with emergency situations. The new Bombardier locals now have a step-by-step instruction manual pasted inside on how to perform CPR, an emergency procedure.

This move comes after the announcement of setting up 73 emergency medical rooms at railway stations across the city.The posters have been put up next to window panels on the new trains and would soon be replicated on all trains. Central Railway officials said the idea behind these was to help save a life in the golden hour.

Western Railway's chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar said the city's local trains are crowded and every attempt to save lives is important. The panel put up near windows on trains gives instructions on making the sufferer lie flat on the ground, and compress the lower part of their chest bone 30 times, followed by breath compression. The following note is about respiratory revival with instructions and illustrations.

Posters have been put up next to window panels on the new trains, and will soon be replicated on all trains

'Better than Baba Bengali'
Regular commuters have found the posters very useful and have been clicking pictures of it as well. "I just noticed it while standing in the crowded train. Otherwise, the trains have those useless Baba Bengali adverts. But this one, probably put up by the railways, is very helpful. It could save a life if one follows instructions carefully or help sustain one till medical help arrives," said Ranjan Chauhan, who travels from Mulund to Mumbai CSMT for work.

"When a person gets a heart attack or is suffocating, it is important for their co-commuters to know how to save his life instead of just watching and waiting for the medical help to arrive. This is a step in educating all commuters to act correctly and promptly," said another commuter.

Railway activists feel the posters will be helpful considering the amount of deaths that occur on the railway tracks. In a week, there's an average of about three to four cases of heart attack or suffocation on the local train network. Railway activist Samir Zaveri, who has been responsible for getting the emergency medical rooms, said that according to a reply he received on a Right to Information application he'd filed, Mumbai's locals, in 2017, witnessed about 556 natural deaths - of which about 354 were on CR and 202 on WR.

CPR needs training, too
Dr Rita Savla, who has been partnering with railways, and gives first respondents the requisite training they need while trying to save lives, said the posters will not be of help, as CPR requires training and practice. "CPR can't be done on every unconscious or every heart attack patient. It is done only when one finds that heart is not functional.

So before giving CPR, one has to know if the heart has stopped completely. If the heart is feebly functional, CPR is not recommended. It can kill the patient if done when not recommended," she said. Savla says before doing CPR one has to do a CAB sequence, which stands for Circulation (chest compressions), Airway (to clear the airway) and Breathing (to perform rescue breathing, also called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, to examine the patient and decide whether or not CPR should be done.

Also Read: Mumbai: WR installs canopies to shelter waiting commuters at Mahalaxmi station

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