Saudi Red Crescent saves Indian pilgrim whose heart stopped while performing Umrah

Dubai: An Indian pilgrim was saved by the Saudi Red Crescent Authority’s ambulance teams in Mecca after his heart stopped while performing Umrah at the Grand Mosque.

According to Dr. Mustafa Baljoun, Director General of the Authority’s branch in Mecca, the medical command and control room received a distress call at 9:44am on Sunday regarding a pilgrim who fainted after his heart had stopped while performing the sa’i ritual at the wheelchair track in the mas’a area (the area between Safa and Marwa).

Upon arrival, the ambulance teams found an unconscious man in his sixties who stopped breathing.

The man, who was not identified, was immediately given CPR with a shock device, and the patient’s pulse returned to normal. He was then taken to Ajyad General Hospital, where he is recovering in the intensive care unit.

A similar incident occurred during this year’s Umrah season. Last month, Mecca’s emergency rescue teams showed their expertise in handling medical emergencies by saving a 32-year-old Egyptian pilgrim.

The patient’s heart stopped twice, and he experienced severe shortness of breath and lost consciousness for a total of 27 minutes.

The ambulance teams transported him to the Haram Emergency Centre campus, and during the journey, his heart stopped again, prompting the team to continue with cardiac resuscitation for 15 minutes and administer electric shocks. Upon arrival, necessary clinical examinations and x-rays revealed severe inflammation in the lungs but no irregularities in the heart muscle.

The patient was placed on a ventilator and admitted to the hospital’s intensive care department. His vital signs returned to normal, and his condition stabilised the following day after the ventilator was removed.