Two doctors on a Ranchi-Delhi IndiGo flight have intervened to save the life of a baby who was suffering from severe respiratory distress as a result of a congenital heart defect, known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), Indian media has reported.
According to reports, a family from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, was en route to Delhi to take their child for treatment when the mid-air crisis occurred.
Around twenty minutes after takeoff, the flight crew made an emergency announcement seeking medical assistance when the infant started displaying signs of distress. Dr. Mozammil Pheroz from Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital and Dr. Nitin Kulkarni, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer with a medical background, responded promptly.
“The mother was crying as the baby was gasping for breath. Dr. Mozammil and I took over care of the baby. Oxygen was supplied through a mask meant for adults as no baby mask or cannula was available,” Dr. Kulkarni told The Times of India.
In the publication, Dr. Kulkarni also revealed that they used Theophylline from the flight’s emergency kit, while the parents provided another medication, Dexona.
The measures taken helped to stabilize the condition of the baby, who was constantly monitored with a stethoscope due to the lack of an oximeter.
When the plane touched down at 9:25 a.m., local time, a medical team was waiting to assist the infant, who was then taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for further treatment.