An infant with congenital heart disease was having serious breathing problems on a flight from Ranchi to Delhi when two other passengers, both physicians, stepped in to help.
A medical crew took the infant under their care and gave oxygen support after the plane landed after an hour.
The infant’s cardiac problem was being treated at AIIMS, Delhi, by the parents.
The newborn was in trouble on Saturday, and the aircrew made an emergency alert twenty minutes into the Indigo flight asking for help from any doctors on board.
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Dr. Mozammil Pheroz from Sadar Hospital in Ranchi and Kulkarni, who is currently the governor of Jharkhand’s principal secretary, stepped forward to save the infant.
“The mother was sobbing as the infant struggled to breathe. Dr. Mozammil and I took over the baby’s care. Since there was no infant mask or cannula accessible, oxygen was given through an adult mask, according to Dr. Kulkarni.
“We reviewed the patient records. Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), a congenital cardiac defect, affected the infant.
He claimed that Theophylline injection was administered using the medication kit and the fact that the parents were carrying injectable Dexona was really helpful.
Following the injections, the infant began to show some indications of improvement, and a stethoscope was used to check the infant’s heartbeat and oxygen levels. According to Kulkarni, it was challenging to determine the oxygen saturation level without an oximeter.
“The first 15 to 20 minutes were incredibly important and stressful since it was hard to determine how things were going. Finally, the eyes returned to normal, and the infant started to cry,” he stated. The flight attendants were quite accommodating and quick to offer assistance he added.
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“We requested for priority landing and full medical support upon arrival,” Kulkarni said.
The medical crew hurried to provide the infant oxygen support as soon as the plane touched down at 9.25 a.m. We were pleased and satisfied with the results of our more than an hour’s worth of work, according to Kulkarni.
One of the other passengers praised the two medical professionals for saving the infant on X. “Doctors are angels sent by God. Today I witnessed someone save a six-month-old infant on an Indigo aircraft. The child was saved by Dr. Nitin Kulkarni, IAS, Governor House in Jharkhand, who acted in his capacity as a physician. Congratulations, sir,” AS Deol wrote on X.
