Viral Video of TTE giving CPR to conscious passenger raises questions, doctors slam Railways for misinformation

Katihar: What was meant to be a gesture of praise for saving a life has sparked strong criticism from the medical community after the Ministry of Railways shared a viral video on social media. The video shows a TTE (Ticket Checking Examiner) performing CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) on a 70-year-old passenger aboard a train who was reportedly 'awake and conscious.'

Although the railway ministry stated that the passenger suffered a heart attack and hence a CPR was performed, doctors criticised the move by pointing out that CPR is not performed on an awake person and is not just performed for heart attacks.

The viral video footage shows a TTE performing chest compressions on an elderly man while he lay on a lower berth in the train. The 70-year-old, who appears to be fully aware, seems to be in distress from the CPR being performeed. When a bystander asks about his condition, the ticket inspector continues with the chest compressions and also gives mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

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The video was shared on the official page of Ministry of Railway on 'X'. The post read, "While travelling in the general coach of train number 15708 'Amrapali Express', a 70-year-old passenger suffered a heart attack. The TTE deployed there immediately gave CPR and saved the life of the passenger. The passenger was then sent to the hospital at Chhapra railway station," the post on X read.

However, the video quickly gained criticism from doctors on social media who called out the government for spreading 'Misinformation' as a CPR is not performed on a conscious person. Further, they requested the ministry to delete the video from social media. 

Why the doctors became angry?

Stating that performing CPR on a conscious patient is extremely wrong and dangerous, a doctor on 'X' commented on the video by saying "This is no joke, it is a serious life saving procedure. Please remove this video immediately, so that no one loses his life due to your wrong information."

An Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Shariq Shamim said, "He is awake, you DO NOT do CPR on awake person. You don't do CPR just for heart attack. Govt officials should not post such misleading articles."

Another doctor said, "Yes, you should give CPR when patient is unconscious/unresponsive. He is awake in the given video !! That's not recommended."

In fact an MBBS student also pointed out that CPR is not performed on conscious patients. The procedure is reserved exclusively for those who are unresponsive & not breathing or have an ineffective pulse. Therefor, performing CPR on a conscious patient violates medical protocols & can result in legal liability for the responder.

While talking about educating the public about the CPR procedure, a doctor said, "Is important that the general public is made more aware on CPR. When & when not, how to attempt CPR."

"Don’t give CPR to awake patients and mouth to mouth breathing not required here plus the faulty compressions. If you really want to create awareness delete this video, force govt to start giving mandatory CPR lessons right from schools and colleges," said an Oncology Resident. 

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