A doctor battled to save a man’s life for five hours while 40,000ft in the air after the passenger went into cardiac arrest on a flight to India.
Dr Vishwaraj Vemala, a consultant hepatologist in Birmingham, was on a 10-hour flight when a 43-year-old man collapsed in the aisle.
The passenger in cardiac arrest, who had no previous medical history, did not have a pulse and was not breathing as Mr Vemala rushed to resuscitate him.
It took about an hour of resuscitation before the passenger regained consciousness. During this time, Mr Vemala asked the cabin crew on board if they had any medication.
“Luckily, they had an emergency kit, which to my utter surprise, included resuscitative medication to enable life support,” he said.
“Apart from oxygen and an automated external defibrillator, there was no other equipment on board to monitor how he was doing.”
Dr Vemala, who works at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, was also able to get his hands on a heart-rate monitor, blood pressure machine, pulse oximeter and glucose meter to check the man’s vital signs.
The passenger - who was speaking with Mr Vemala after regaining consciousness - abruptly went into cardiac arrest again, but he was kept alive for the second time.
Dr Vemala said: “In total, he was without a good pulse or decent blood pressure for nearly two hours of the flight, alongside the cabin crew, we were trying to keep him alive for five hours in total. It was extremely scary for us all, especially the other passengers, and it was quite emotional.”
With a growing concern for the passenger’s condition, Mr Velma and the pilot tried to get permission to land at the nearest airfield in Pakistan, but their requests were denied.
Instead, they were able to arrange for landing at Mumbai Airport in India, where emergency crews were waiting for them on the ground.
“I remember it was extremely emotional for us all when we heard we could land in Mumbai. By the time we landed the passenger had been resuscitated and was able to speak with me. Nevertheless, I insisted he go to a hospital to be checked over,” said Mr Velma.
He added: “As a consultant hepatologist I look after extremely unwell patients and patients who have had liver transplants, but I don’t think I have ever treated a cardiac arrest during my job. Obviously during my medical training, it was something I had experience dealing with, but never 40,000 feet in the air.”
Mr Velma was travelling on board flight AI128 from the UK to India, to take his mum back to their hometown of Bangalore, before the cabin crew desperately called for a doctor to attend to the passenger who had collapsed in the aisle.
It was a chance for Dr Velma’s mother to see him “in action”, he said, which made the incident “even more emotional – she was crying a lot.”
The passenger was left safe and stable with the emergency team at Mumbai Airport.
Mr Velma said: “The patient thanked me with tears in his eyes. He said: ‘I am forever indebted to you for saving my life’. This was indeed a moment that I will remember for rest of my life.”
