A 65-year-old Australian co-passenger named Annie fell unconscious in the Singapore airlines and a doctor couple from Kalyan, Maharashtra in India, who were on their way back from Perth to Singapore came to the aid of.
After the flight attendants made an announcement seeking medical help from any doctors on board, Dr. Nitin and Dr. Neeta Zabak made efforts to bring back the consciousness of the woman with the limited resources at their disposal.
The duo, who runs the City MultiCare hospital in Kalyan, had gone for a vacation to Australia on March 31 and was on the way back in the Singapore airlines on Thursday.
Annie was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation and chest compressions to help her regain consciousness. As weak as she was, the doctors had to provide oxygen to increase her blood pressure.
They also gave her sublingual Sorbitrate, aspirin, as well as sprayed a Glyceryl Trinitrate (GTN) spray beneath her tongue to guarantee that her blood vessels widen to allow easy blood flow.
They monitored Annie for the next three hours as they feared some heart-related problem.
The in-flight equipment helped the doctors treat Annie.
Nitin said, “The patient’s pulse was initially very feeble and inserting a special IV line with only the torchlight of a mobile phone was difficult. But my wife, Neeta, who is a child specialist has the experience of inserting IV line for children, managed it in the first attempt.”
The aircraft captain also asked the doctors if an emergency landing was required in Uluru, but they seemed to think they could make it to Singapore without a major episode.
“The cabin crew informed us that making an emergency landing would be hectic as 300 passengers would have to be kept in a hotel and put on an alternative flight,” the doctor added.
As the aircraft had ICU equipment and medicines for treatment, the doctors decided to continue with the patient’s treatment on board. The patient’s condition improved and the flight reached Changi airport in Singapore around 2:30 a.m.
Annie was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
Dr. Neeta also said that the Singapore airline staff also gave her and her husband a standing ovation.
The couple boarded a flight back to Mumbai on Friday and reached early on Saturday. Neeta also added that “We received a message from Annie and her friend Janie that her condition is good.”
Annie suffered from hypoxia, a condition which the body doesn’t get adequate oxygen, and it was not cardiac arrest as the doctors feared, clarified the hospital where the woman has been admitted.
