Delhi’s troubles showing up at hospitals

New Delhi: After undergoing a successful hip replacement last week, 75-year-old Dinesh Sahoo (name changed) was looking forward to going back home and spending time with his family on Diwali.

But the elderly man developed breathing trouble leading to mucus collection in his airways and sepsis set in. He died on Wednesday.

A senior chest physician involved in his treatment told TOI that his breathing trouble started due to bad air. “He was a pre-existing patient of chronic bronchitis who came for joint replacement. The surgery went fine but due to bad air, his respiratory condition worsened and he had to be put on ventilator following which he caught infection, to which he succumbed,” the doctor said.

According to doctors, toxic air poses serious threat to the health of elderly and children. “Pollution affects breathing. It leads to collection of mucus in the airway. If it is not cleared in time, there is risk of infection and even death,” said Dr Arup Basu, pulmonologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

He added: “Infections caught outside a hospital are easier to treat but the ones acquired in hospitals are often difficult to manage. We take steps such as encouraging elderly patients to undergo physiotherapy so their airways remain clear. In case of breathing difficulty, mechanical support system is used. Also, the patients are told to drink enough fluids to clear the toxins.”

City hospitals said that worsening air quality is triggering respiratory conditions in many patients and if appropriate measures are not taken, it could cause more fatalities.

“Nearly 50% of patients I see in the OPD these days have suffered exacerbation of breathing problems due to pollution. Most are elderly patients, but we are also seeing many youngsters complaining about disabling wheezing and chest congestion,” said Dr Vivek Nangia, who heads the pulmonology department at Fortis hospital.

He added that eight patients are admitted in the hospital for respiratory problems and are currently on oxygen support and intravenous steroids. “We are getting five to 10 patients facing emergency daily, mostly in evenings or at night, with acute attacks of asthma or bronchitis. Some of them require admission,” said Dr Priyadarshini Pal Singh, head of emergency at Apollo hospital.

At Dharamshila Narayana Super Specialty Hospital, cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr Mitesh Sharma said that many of their heart patients were rushing to the hospital due to breathing difficulty, fearing it could be a precursor to a heart attack.

“Incidence of heart attack increases when pollution levels are high. This is a proven fact. Pollutants like Carbon Monoxide cause lack of oxygenation in the body and thus trigger the attack,” said Dr G C Khilnani, professor and head of pulmonology at AIIMS.

He advised that vulnerable ones, elderly, children and those with pre-existing illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis or heart condition, should restrict movement outside.

He added that parents to reduce children’s exposure to pollutants by making it feasible for them to travel during times of the day when air pollution is lower; provide appropriately fitting air filtration masks in extreme cases. This is because a young child’s brain is especially vulnerable because it can be damaged by a smaller dose of toxic chemicals compared to an adult’s brain.