Adib was gasping for air and unable to talk, says doctor

SHAH ALAM: Fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim (pic) was gasping for air and unable to talk when brought into the emergency room at Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) early in the morning of Nov 27, says the first doctor to treat him.

After examination, the 24-year-old was found to be suffering from lung injuries, said emergency physician Dr M. K. Nantha Kumeran on day eight of the inquest into the death of Muhammad Adib, who was badly injured in the line of duty near the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple on Nov 27, 2018.

The doctor, the 12th witness called be called in, told the coroner's court that he first saw Muhammad Adib as he was being wheeled into the emergency room.

"He was gasping for air as he had difficulty breathing, was unable to talk and was making incomprehensible sounds," he said.

Muhammad Adib's blood pressure was at 85/46, which was low by normal standards, Dr Nantha Kumeran said.

The fireman's oxygen saturation was also below normal at 48%, he added.

He said that he ordered an X-ray scan on the fireman after seeing a large bruise on his upper right chest.

"And when I touched (his chest) I could hear cracking sounds.

"(At that time) I was looking towards (him having) pneumothorax," he said, adding that the term meant that there was air or blood between his chest wall and his lung.

Dr Nantha Kumeran said he and an anaesthetist also started intubating Muhammad Adib to help him breathe.

He said X-ray scans of the fireman's chest showed that his ribs were fractured.

"There were fractures from his second to fifth rib, and he had lung contusion (bruising of the lung)," he added.

When asked by DPP Zafran Rahim Hamzah, who is on the three-member team from the Attorney General's Chambers, on what he thought caused the injury, Dr Nantha Kumeran said it could have been caused by blunt trauma.

Dr Nantha Kumeran said from what he observed on the morning of Nov 27, the fireman had "a patch (of bruising) on the right upper chest wall and on the shoulder".

When asked by Zafran whether he spoke to those who brought Muhammad Adib to SJMC, Dr Nantha Kumeran said he questioned three men on what happened.

"I went out an hour after resuscitation to ask what happened. They told me they found him lying down on the ground and that they brought him here (SJMC) on a four-wheel drive," he said.

When asked if they provided any other information, Zafran replied; "No, they did not. (They said) they were unsure whether he fell from a truck or was assaulted".

Judge Rofiah Mohamad is sitting as coroner for the inquest, held at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

Muhammad Adib was critically injured when he and his team mates from the Subang Jaya fire station responded to an emergency at the temple where riots were happening last November.

He was taken to SJMC before being transferred to the National Heart Institute (IJN) for further treatment.

He passed away on Dec 17 at 9.41pm at IJN.