A 21-year-old student, Atul Rao, experienced six instances of his heart stopping in a single day and is now making the most of his second lease on life by pursuing a career in medicine.
Although Atul initially planned to enter the business field upon completing his medical degree, his perspective shifted the moment he regained consciousness after those harrowing heart attacks. He realized that medicine was his true calling.
Fellow students discovered Atul collapsed at Imperial College London, and it was the quick response of paramedics that saved his life. A security guard performed CPR until London Ambulance Service teams arrived and successfully revived his heart.
At Hammersmith Hospital, he was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, a condition in which blood clots in the lungs obstruct the heart's blood flow. Over the following 24 hours, Atul's heart stopped and restarted repeatedly, a total of five more times.
Eventually, clot-busting medications took effect, and his heart began beating reliably. However, he remained critically ill.
He was later transferred to St Thomas' Hospital, nearly seven miles away, where he had access to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) life support system, capable of temporarily replacing the heart and lungs to allow patients time to recover. Astonishingly, Atul experienced a remarkable recovery without needing the ECMO.
Two weeks after the initial heart attack, he was discharged from St Thomas' Hospital on July 27, 2023.
Atul, originally from Seattle, Texas, was in the final year of his pre-med degree at Baylor University in Waco, which would have paved the way for further medical studies.
In a conversation with the staff at Hammersmith Hospital months after the ordeal, accompanied by his parents, Atul stated, "Before this happened, I was starting to wonder if I was doing the right thing by pursuing medicine and whether I should consider a career in business. But the moment I woke up, I knew. I want to make the most of my time in a meaningful way. I want to use my second chance at life to help others."
Reflecting on spending his 21st birthday in a hospital bed, Atul said, "Most 21-year-olds want to go out drinking. Given how dangerous my situation had been, I was grateful to be here with loved ones celebrating."
His father, Ajay Atul, who works at a software company, praised the NHS staff and the medical teams. He expressed immense gratitude for the "heroic efforts" of the London Ambulance Service and the medical teams at Hammersmith, St Thomas', and Royal Brompton hospitals.
Atul's mother, Srividhya Atul, a mathematics professor in Seattle, remarked, "A truly unfortunate event occurred in a remarkably good place. Everyone who cared for Atul genuinely wanted him to recover. It's evident that they love and care deeply about what they do. I feel blessed and thankful for the opportunity to have my son back."
The couple, in their gratitude, expressed a profound perspective on life and its value, with Atul experiencing this profound change at a young age. They now hold Hammersmith and St Thomas' hospitals in the highest regard and plan to visit whenever they are in London
