Examining Heart Health and the Importance of CPR

February is American Heart Month and USTA Missouri Valley is examining the importance of heart health and how to care for the heart. It’s also important to know what to do on the rare occurrence of a heart attack.

By now, we all know the old saying that tennis is good for you. There have been many studies over the years showing the health benefits of tennis, especially as it relates to physical and heart health. Playing tennis can help you live longer and improve cardiovascular health. 

But what happens in an emergency situation when the heart stops working the way it’s supposed to? That’s when it becomes vitally important to have at least some sort of CPR training or knowledge. With help from our friends at the American Heart Association and one local physician, we’re going to explore the importance of CPR and other life-saving skills.

Players and attendees at a Level 4 junior tournament earlier this year had a major scare when one of the club’s tennis professionals collapsed during a lesson. Luckily for everyone involved, Punita Gupta was at the tournament watching her son and able to deliver lifesaving CPR until the paramedics could arrive and take over. 

Gupta is a physician from the St. Louis area and has three sons (Jai, Shaan and Avi Patel) who all play tennis. She was in line to buy a smoothie when she heard what happened. Her sons ran up to her and told her they needed a doctor and her training kicked in to save the day.

“My first thought I had was ‘Is this a joke or is this really happening?’” Gupta said. “And when I realized it was real, I told myself ‘Ok - don’t panic. You know what to do. Just do it.’”

By the time she got to the court, she said the victim’s face was completely purple and he was unresponsive and not breathing. Somebody had already called 911, so Punita immediately went to work administering single rescuer CPR. She continued working until the paramedics arrived and took over from there. We’ll never know what would have happened if Punita wasn’t at that tournament, but we can say with certainty that her intervention greatly increased the odds of survival.

“If someone collapses or becomes unresponsive, CPR significantly improves survival based on numerous previous studies,” Gupta said. “I think it would be ideal for society if everyone was CPR certified.”