Why your building should have this life-saving device

Bandra Gymkhana staffers Ralph Duarte (left) and Ryan Dpenha with the AED in the background; Merwyn Fernandes, former hockey player and Lobo’s opponent in the match who administered the AED and Neville Lobo

Neville Lobo, 62, who had gone to Bandra Gymkhana to play a game of tennis as usual on Thursday had a close brush with death after he collapsed while playing. He had no pulse for two to three minutes. If he is alive today, it is because of the quick thinking of his co-player Merwyn Fernandes and the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) available at the gymkhana. Fernandes, a hockey player, administered a shock to him via the AED, bringing him back to life.

Lobo, who has undergone angioplasty at the Holy Family Hospital and is currently recuperating there, had served as Merchant Navy Master for 33 years and used to enjoy his retirement by playing tennis. He was playing doubles against Fernandes and his friends around 8.15 am when he collapsed.

However, it took others time to realise he fell unconscious and dropped to his knees as it was right after scoring against their opponent. When he did not move for a minute or so, they checked on him and found him unconscious.

"His pulse was dropping, he was unconscious. Some of us tried our hands at Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) but there were no signs of revival," recalled Fernandes. Dr KP Morwani, Rafiq Merchant, Nitin Bhalla, Dr Ajay Dudani, Brian and Naren also rushed to help.

At this point someone informed them about the AED - a portable electronic device that is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, following which they promptly got it and Fernandes followed the instructions to administer the shock. "It was a race against time. Everyone present at the court thought we lost Neville. Some were trying to arrange a cardiac ambulance, but it certainly could have taken time. We hardly had one or two attempts to revive him. I was not sure whether it would work," said Fernandes.

Merwyn Fernandes (left), the saviour. File pic

"At first I didn't understand what happened, but later on we were shattered to know there was no pulse. CPR also failed. Fortunately there was an AED and I knew how to use it. We are very happy to have Neville back," he added.

Lobo gained consciousness after the first shock and he was immediately taken to the ICU of Holy Family Hospital, which is around 500 metres away. Lobo underwent angioplasty and a stent has been installed in his artery.

Talking to mid-day, Lobo said, "It's nothing short of a miracle. I didn't even have any signs or symptoms of heart ailment before and was feeling absolutely fine till the moment I collapsed. I don't know what happened after that."

Neville Lobo, a former merchant navy master, used to visit Bandra Gymkhana frequently to play tennis

"The next thing I realised was that my friends were taking me to the hospital in a car. When I gained consciousness completely I was told about the sequence of events. I am thankful to my friends and also to Bandra Gymkhana which had an AED, otherwise I would have been a dead man" he said.

"I am a health professional involved in training flight crew members about CPR and AED and know timely intervention can definitely save a life. Neville had no pulse for two-three minutes and every minute after that gets critical. We have trained our staff with CPR and AED and kept it in a place where one can get it in an emergency," Dr Cheryl Misquitta, president, Bandra Gymkhana. She added that most of the staffers are trained to operate AED.

"Every gymkhana should have AED and a person who has been trained to handle it should be there when members are playing," Lobo insisted.