Passenger falls ill during a 10-hour flight: the doctor on board keeps him alive until they land

by Mark Bennett

February 02, 2023

Passenger falls ill during a 10-hour flight: the doctor on board keeps him alive until they land
Advertisement

Traveling by plane is often peaceful and perhaps even a little boring, especially if it's a long distance flight: in fact, it's not so nice to spend hours sitting in a seat staring at the clouds, but luckily you are able to watch movies or read books en route on most airplanes these days. However, a recent flight from London to India was very eventful: Dr Vishwaraj Vemala - consultant hepatologist at the University Hospitals of Birmingham, England - miraculously saved the life of a passenger who almost died twice during the 10-hour journey.

via BBC

Dr Vemala was flying from the UK to India to take his mother back to Bangalore, when the crew of Flight AI128 began a frantic search for a doctor: a 43-year-old passenger, with no known medical issues, was slumped in the aisle of the plane, suffering what appeared to be a cardiac arrest. Dr Vemala immediately intervened: "I asked the crew if they had any medicines. Luckily they had an emergency kit which, to my great surprise, included the medicines and equipment I needed,” he said.

The crew supplied the doctor with oxygen and a defibrillator, while other passengers on board offered Dr Vemala a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure machine, a pulse meter and a glucometer to monitor the patient's vital signs. After being resuscitated, the 43-year-old man regained consciousness and began to speak, but shortly afterwards went into cardiac arrest again: "He had a weak pulse and very low blood pressure for nearly two hours of the flight; together with the crew, we kept him alive for five hours in total," said Dr Vemala.

Advertisement
Pexels - Not the Actual Photo

Pexels - Not the Actual Photo

Given the passenger's condition, the pilot asked for permission to land at the nearest airport - which was in Pakistan - but to no avail. Instead, they managed to land at Mumbai airport in India, where a medical team was ready for the patient. “It was extremely scary for all of us. We breathed a sigh of relief when we learned that we could land in Mumbai. When we landed, the passenger had been revived and was able to speak to me. I made sure that he was taken to hospital to be checked," said Dr Vemala.

For Dr. Vemala, this was the first time he had treated a patient for cardiac arrest in conditions like this: "As a hepatologist, I treat extremely sick patients like those who have had a liver transplant. But I don't think I have ever dealt with a cardiac arrest during the course of my work. Obviously, during my medical training, this was something I had already faced, but never at an altitude of 30,000 feet!". It was also the first time that his mother had seen him in action: the woman wept tears of pride at seeing how skilled her son was.

The passenger was was admitted to hospital accompanied by the detailed notes written by Dr Vemala: "The patient thanked me with tears in his eyes. He said to me: 'I am forever indebted to you for saving my life'. It was truly a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life," Dr Vemala said.

What can we say? Doctors are truly modern-day heros!

Advertisement