We often imagine a flight to be one of those places where one just switches off the phone, disconnects from the world, and enjoys the view of the scenic skies.But sometimes, even the most peaceful flights turn into places where we lose control of the situation. Recently, something similar happened when a routine flight from Delhi to Aizawl suddenly turned into a medical emergency.A passenger with chronic kidney disease, who was travelling for a check-up related to dialysis, struggled to breathe during the journey. The passenger’s oxygen level dropped to around 40 percent, which is dangerously low. Doctors who happened to be on the flight stepped in to help.
Routine flight turns into a medical emergency
On 3 October, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Aizawl turned into a race against time. A passenger with chronic kidney disease, travelling for a check-up related to dialysis, suddenly became very breathless, according to an NDTV report. Many doctors who were travelling aboard the flight turned in to perform their job.When they measured the passenger’s oxygen saturation, it was at around 40 per cent, which is dangerously low, since a healthy oxygen level is between the mid-to-high 90s.
Treating a patient in the air
When the cabin crew asked for medical help, three Mizo doctors and a senior medical practitioner from outside the state stepped forward.Dr Willie Lalhruaitluanga, General Surgeon, Dr F Remthangpuii, Paediatrician, and Dr Benjamin Khiangte, Gastroenterologist, looked after the passenger and began handling the emergency inside the aircraft.They gave oxygen through a mask, but the level rose only to around 60 percent. After steroids, it reached around 90 percent.The pilot was ready to divert the flight to Kolkata for an emergency landing, but once the patient stabilised, the flight continued to Aizawl.
The hassle continued even when the plane landed
The passenger’s condition worsened again later in the flight, and the doctors considered placing a breathing tube (intubation). The plane had very little emergency equipment, so they asked the ground staff to have an ambulance waiting when it landed.After the flight reached Lengpui Airport in Mizoram, the patient was moved straight into an ambulance. The doctors had the equipment they needed, so they proceeded with the breathing tube and maintained emergency care.Next, the team called hospitals in Aizawl to find an ICU bed. They found one at LRM Hospital, and the doctors went along with the patient. The breathing tube was removed the following night, and the patient had dialysis. However, the patient is now stable.
- The doctors left their own luggage behind to stay with the patient, and Dr Benjamin Khiangte later helped look after them once the emergency was over.
