Near Dead Lady and Nepal Bandh

                                    

Yesterday in the evening, I was with my friends in Okhaldhunga chatting about Nepal’s current political scenario and the insignificance of Nepal Bandh. Nepal Bandh is people’s unwanted theme but still the political leaders launching this in the name of people for the sake of people. It is becoming as if it is the essential part of our 12 month calendar in a year. It is raising false perception that it is our essential one by putting on us the Goebbels’s theory.  I don’t know when will we get rid of it?

I got call from hospital to support on call doctor. I just reached hospital in no time. This was a 19 year young lady who delivered her baby in her home and now in hypovolemic shock secondary to placenta retained in her womb and the womb was not contracted since placenta inside the womb. Literally she was in near death condition. She was in OT table intubated by anesthesia assistant and on call doctor had been trying to remove placenta. I was called for anesthesia support. While observing her vitals and anesthesia support, she suddenly went in asystole (heart not pumping). It is just like the time was paused meanwhile and everybody was shocked what happened to her. I started chest compression and asked anesthesia DD to load adrenaline and give 1 mg intravenous stat. she did it quickly. After 2 minutes CPR, her heart started pumping blood. Blood Pressure came to normal range and but pulse rate was 220bpm suggestive of supraventricular tachycardia so I asked anesthesia DD to load verapamil she gave it slowly meanwhile I was doing unilateral carotid sinus massage .The pulse rate came down gradually in normal range. By this time she had already received 3 pints of blood. The Placenta also delivered and the womb already started contracted and bleeding stopped dramatically. The paused time again started to beat normally and we realized by then that we were in real time.

Today in morning round, her hematocrit was 22 and this is encouraging for stable patient.

‘How are you?’

She smiled,’ I am ok doctor.’

‘This is your second life.’

‘Yeah I know doctor, I am born again.’

She started to take usual meal. She received 1 more pint of blood.

She was brought here in Okhaldhunga Community Hospital 12 hours after baby delivery and placenta retained in her womb and was bleeding from birth canal. We can imagine how much blood she lost during this period. She was paper white with loss of consciousness. She was just 1 hour far from here on vehicle. Because of Nepal Bandh, she was delayed to seek essential health service here and she waited 11 more hours to receive the service. Had she been brought in time, she would not have been remained amidst the life and death situation.

Every moment is critical in everyone’s life; nobody knows when the crucial period for life and death situation is. While writing this, how many patients were deprived of getting emergency treatment and lost their lives. Please do not snatch the right of people to seek their essential health service by launching Nepal Bandh in the name of people.