Ahmedabad: The emergency medical technician (EMT) of an EMRI 108 ambulance made a quick decision on Dec 28 while attending a call related to a pregnancy emergency. Jyoti Bharwad, a resident of Nandej village near Bareja, about 20km from Ahmedabad, experienced labour pain and sought ambulance service for delivery. However, before she could be taken to the nearest health centre, she was in great discomfort.
The team quickly assessed the condition and realised that it was a breech delivery, where the child’s feet, instead of the head, come out of the uterus. It was not all — when the EMT assisted in the delivery, they realised that the child turned blue due to a lack of oxygen as the umbilical cord was tied around the neck of the child. In the end, both the child and mother were saved and were taken to LG Hospital, where their health is stable.
“The call was received around 5.50pm by the central call centre. As the case was of labour pain, a team experienced in such emergencies was dispatched. When attempts to stabilise the patient failed, Yogendra Gandhi, the EMT, informed the central team about the condition, after which the ambulance was parked on the side of the road and she was assisted in delivering a child,” said a senior EMRI official.
The mother was on intravenous medicine, and the team provided oxygen and started the medical procedure when they realised that it was a breech delivery, which is generally considered difficult compared to the cephalic position, where the head comes out first. When the child finally came out, the team realised that the umbilical cord was tied around the baby boy. The cord was removed carefully, and treatment for the child was initiated as he turned blue due to a lack of oxygen.
“The child did not cry after delivery. The child was cleaned, and airway suction was started along with bag-valve-mask ventilation and CPR to regularise the heartbeat, which increased from 60 to 120 after six minutes. The child and mother were then shifted to LG Hospital for further treatment. The case is unusual as such treatment is generally provided at a hospital, and even then, it carries a certain risk with chances of survival around one in 10,000 cases,” said a senior EMRI official.