Mid-air medical scare averted on Bengaluru-Calcutta flight as doctor couple saves sick passenger: Report | Bengaluru

Dr. MM Samim, who with his wife, Dr. Naznin Parvin, who was traveling, was accompanied by an unnamed surgeon from MS Ramaiah Hospital in Bengaluru in the crucial rescue operation. Their quick response not only stabilized the sick man but also prevented a possible diversion to Bhubaneswar that would have disrupted the travel plans of over 200 passengers, the report said.

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Flight 6E 503 took off from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the capital Karnataka at around 10:42 a.m. with a slight delay of 20 minutes. About an hour into the flight, the passenger, a laborer from West Bengal who was on his way to be treated for chronic liver disease, began experiencing severe shortness of breath and vomiting. He was traveling with his son, they said.

“In the middle of the flight, an airman sitting in the middle of the flight (row #16) began vomiting blood. One of the cabin staff made an announcement asking the doctors on board to help the patient. Three of them stepped forward and saved his life,” a passenger told the publication.

Dr. Parvin also spoke to the publication and described how they rushed to help the passenger in distress.

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“He had difficulty breathing and was vomiting blood. We discovered that his blood pressure is low. We supplied him with oxygen using the oxygen cylinder on board. We also gave him normal saline IV fluids, all of which were available on the flight. The vomiting was brought under control immediately. Soon the oximeter also showed a stable oxygen level (95),” she said.

“I have to admit that the team was great in the help they provided. At some point the flight captain asked us if the flight needed to be diverted to Bhubaneshwar. It was a difficult decision. Since the patient was not doing well financially and may not have the necessary resources or support system in another city, I decided that it would be better if he returned to his hometown. We had also stabilized him,” said Dr. Samim, as quoted in the report.

When the flight landed in Kolkata at 1:24 pm, Indigo’s medical team was ready and an ambulance was waiting to transport the patient to a nearby facility. Moved by the experience, a fellow passenger took a moment to publicly praise the doctors in a speech while waiting for their luggage.