How a Dubai doctor on tea break comes to the rescue of a man suffering heart attack after collapsing near metro station

A Dubai-based doctor swiftly acted and saved the life of a city resident who collapsed near a metro station due to a cardiac arrest. Shervin Sasidharan, 36, had just stepped out of work and had just started to walk towards the metro station when the incident took place. His vision got blurred, his legs buckled, and he collapsed on the pavement.

Sasidharan was completely unconscious, and he was barely breathing, and he was probably moments away from death due to a cardiac arrest. Just then, Dr. Niraj Gupta, a specialist in interventional cardiology at NMC Royal Hospital in Dubai Investment Park (DIP), who was out on a quick tea break, rushed to help after he noticed a crowd around someone on the ground.

Gupta, who was across the street, said that the person (Sasidharan) had suffered a cardiac arrest and there was a need for quick action to save his life.


Recalling the incident, Dr. Gupta said, “I saw people standing around someone on the ground. When I reached him, I realized he was sweating heavily and breathing just four times a minute,” Dr. Niraj recalled. “It was a cardiac arrest, and we had to act quickly,” as quoted by The Khaleej Times.

As the hospital was nearby, Dr. Gupta wasted no time and called for an ambulance and began CPR. The patient was given two shocks before reaching the hospital, followed by a third one, which was delivered inside the emergency department.

Emergency, ICU, and cardiology teams acted swiftly, and a full Code Blue was activated at the hospital. Sasidharan was given treatment on priority. According to Khaleej Times, he was diagnosed with a critical cardiac condition, acute inferior wall ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), and ventricular fibrillation (VF).

An angiography revealed a 100 percent blockage in the right coronary artery and a 90 percent blockage in the left. Four drug-eluting stents were placed to restore blood flow. He was able to walk again freely in just two days due to swift medical intervention.

Sasidharan thanks Dr Gupta after recovery

Following his recovery, Sasidharan said that he was not even aware that he was suffering from diabetes. He thanked Dr. Gupta for taking swift action, which saved his life.

“I didn’t even know I had diabetes. I thought I was healthy. If the doctor hadn’t been there at that moment, I wouldn’t be alive today. I am just so thankful,” Sasidharan was quoted by The Khaleej Times as saying.

Sasidharan also said that the near-death experience has changed his life. “I’ve cut down on junk food. I started walking every day, and I’m making health my top priority. I got a second chance; I won’t take it for granted,” he said.

Dr Gupta reveals major reasons behind heart attacks in young adults

Dr. Niraj, who performed the entire procedure without pause, said poor lifestyle habits are one of the biggest contributors to heart attacks in young adults. “People in their 30s shouldn’t be experiencing this. But stress, poor diet, smoking, processed food, and high cholesterol are major risk factors,” he noted.

He requested residents to take regular checkups seriously and recommended basic heart screenings, including the Treadmill Test (TMT), Lipid profile, Blood sugar levels, and a CT scan of the heart.