The fitness of the Rescuer is the ultimate need to perform professional duties efficiently. Regardless of the cadre i.e Emergency Medical Technician, Fire Rescuer, Driver/Pilot of Emergency Vehicle, etc. for which the Rescuer is recruited. To ensure Fitness, the Punjab Emergency Service Department (Rescue 1122) had a routine to conduct the monthly fitness test of rescuers in each district. Today the management arranged a running test on the same pattern in Lahore. During this Running test, a Rescuer lost his precious life due to an unknown reason.
A study/article published on science direct with the title of sudden death while running on dated 22 April 2004. According to the article, they selected 5 male runners having different age groups from 40 to 53 years. These runners ran for 5 years on average and covered about an average of 60 Km. Now they had become habitual runners and practiced this as a routine job. Before becoming habitual runners, none of them had a clinical observation of cardiac disease. But they all died while running!
At necropsy, all had severe atherosclerotic luminal narrowing of their major epicardial coronary arteries. Of the five runners, at least four had hypercholesterolemia, two had systemic hypertension, one had angina pectoris and none had clinical evidence of an acute myocardial infarct.
The single symptomatic runner also had an abnormal resting electrocardiogram and a positive exercise stress test. The electrocardiogram (four patients) and exercise stress tests (three patients) in the other four runners were normal. At autopsy, all five men had greater than 75 percent narrowing of the cross-sectional area by atherosclerotic plaques of the right, left anterior descending, and left circumflex coronary arteries.
Thus, coronary heart disease appears to be the major killer of runners aged 40 years and over who die while running.
According to another research, they investigated the circumstances of death and the medical & activity histories of 18 individuals who died during or immediately after jogging. Thirteen men died of coronary heart disease (CHD) and four men and one woman died of other causes. Six CHD subjects had medical histories relevant to the cardiovascular system, but only one had been diagnosed with CHD. Six CHD subjects experienced prodromal symptoms but continued vigorous exercise programs. Two subjects had exercised less than a month, but most had trained regularly for years. The CHD risk factors for the CHD cases did not differ significantly from those for other age-matched, physically active men. Superior physical fitness does not guarantee protection against exercise deaths.
So, Physicians and exercising adults should be aware of this fact and give appropriate attention to possible prodromal symptoms.
Today, A Rescuer Mr. Asim Lashari depart this world and left his family, friends, and colleagues in a feeling of deep sorrow. This news remained viral on all social media i.e Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Hi, I am John Smit a Captain in Fire Department City of Newyork with over years of experience in the field of Firefighting and HSE. My passion for fire safety started when I was a young boy and witnessed a neighbor’s house go up in flames along with precious lives. Since then, I had dedicated my life to ensuring the safety of buildings, properties, and individuals in case of a fire and medical emergencies.