Aizawl, Oct 5: What began as a routine flight from Delhi to Aizawl turned into a race against time when a woman suffering from chronic kidney disease developed severe breathing difficulties mid-air, with her oxygen saturation plunging to around 40 per cent.
The incident took place on October 3 aboard an IndiGo flight.
Doctors respond to emergency
Fortunately for the passenger, three Mizo doctors and a senior medical practitioner from outside the state were on board and sprang into action after the cabin crew made an emergency announcement seeking medical assistance.
Dr Benjamin Khiangte, a gastroenterologist, Dr F Remthangpuii alias Aremi, a paediatrician and critical-care super-specialist, and Dr Willie Lalhruaitluanga, a general surgeon, responded to the call and worked alongside former Union Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, who had initially attended to the passenger.
The woman (32), who was undergoing dialysis for chronic kidney disease, was returning to Mizoram after travelling to Delhi for treatment.
"Midway or about an hour before the flight was due to land in Aizawl, she suddenly experienced a medical emergency, and her condition deteriorated. She was having difficulty breathing and her oxygen level was low," Khiangte told PTI.
He initially checked on the passenger after noticing the cabin crew attending to her.
"They told me she was stable, but her condition soon worsened," he said.
Khiangte said Karad, newly appointed BJP leader in-charge of Mizoram, who was also travelling on the flight, had initially attended to the woman for around 30 to 35 minutes, but her condition did not improve.
"As the patient did not show improvement, the cabin crew made an announcement asking if there was a doctor on board. At this, I, along with my friends Dr Aremi and Dr Willie, came forward to attend," Khiangte recalled.
Oxygen level plunges
The doctors found the woman’s SpO2 level at around 40 per cent and her breathing severely compromised.
They administered an inhaler and oxygen, but the aircraft could provide only about four litres per minute because of the limited capacity of its oxygen cylinder, he said.
After administering steroids, her oxygen saturation briefly improved to around 70-80 per cent, prompting the team to continue the flight to Aizawl rather than divert to Kolkata, an option offered by the pilot, he said.
The improvement, however, did not last.
Her oxygen level dropped again, and the doctors began considering emergency intubation. The aircraft, however, did not have the equipment required for the procedure.
The doctors therefore asked the crew to arrange an ambulance and medical support at Lengpui Airport.
Emergency treatment after landing
According to Dr Khiangte, when the aircraft landed, the ambulance available at the airport had oxygen but lacked the equipment needed to provide advanced respiratory support.
The doctors decided to take the patient directly to Lengpui Community Health Centre (CHC).
There, they found the necessary emergency equipment and immediately intubated the patient on a stretcher.
"After intubation, her oxygen level improved. The hospital also had a better oxygen supply, and the patient gradually became stable," Dr Khiangte said.
Intubation is a medical procedure where a provider inserts a flexible tube through the mouth or nose and down into the windpipe to keep the airway open and help a patient breathe.
Race to find ICU bed
The doctors then began another race -- this time to find an ICU bed in Aizawl.
They contacted hospitals while the patient was being stabilised at the CHC and eventually secured an ICU bed at LRM Hospital.
Dr Willie and Dr Remthangpuii accompanied the patient in the ambulance to Aizawl, while Dr Khiangte returned to the airport to collect their belongings before travelling to the city.
The patient was placed on ventilator support and later underwent dialysis.
By night, she was extubated and was able to communicate, with her condition reported to have improved considerably, Khiangte said.
He said the timely intervention had been crucial.
"Had she not received medical support in time, the situation could have become very serious. I honestly did not expect her to survive," he said.
He said the patient had developed excess fluid accumulation in the lungs, which might worsen breathing difficulties.
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Doctors reflect on rescue
Reflecting on the incident, Dr Khiangte said the three doctors had simply responded to a fellow passenger in distress.
"We are happy that we were in a position to help someone who needed assistance. We simply did what we could and what we were supposed to do," he said.
Dr Khiangte is a well-known and one of the foremost gastroenterologists in Mizoram, who runs his own GI and Liver Centre in Aizawl's Mission Veng.
Dr Remthangpuii works at the state-run Aizawl Civil Hospital, and she is the only super-specialist in critical care, while Dr Willie, who previously worked in Zoram Medical College and Hospital (ZMCH) and LRM Hospital, is currently pursuing a post-doctoral super-speciality degree in surgical oncology (MCh) at Dehradun.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
