Doctor couple from Mohali leads mid-air rescue of critical infant

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, August 28

In a heartwarming story of a twist of fate, an infant was brought back to life aboard a Vistara flight on Monday after she stopped breathing and suffered a massive cardiac arrest.

Five AIIMS doctors returning from the Indian Society for Vascular and Interventional Radiology conference, who happened to be on the same Bengaluru to Delhi Vistara flight, instantly formed a team to administer critical care to the child and resuscitated her after the crew announced an SOS.

“It was a two year old cyanotic female child who had undergone a cardiac operation some 20 days ago. When we heard the distress call on board the child was already unconscious, totally pulse-less and centrally cyanosed which means her skin, tongue, and mucous membranes had gone blue due to lack of oxygen. There were multiple challenges starting with resuscitating the infant,” Navdeep Kaur from AIIMS anaesthesia department, who led the life-saving procedure told The Tribune today.

Navdeep and her husband Damandeep Singh, currently pursuing DM in cardiac radiology from AIIMS New Delhi were part of the AIIMS team that worked on the child. Navdeep and Damandeep hail from Punjab’s Mohali.

While Navdeep did her MBBS from Government Medical College Patiala and MD from PGI Chandigarh, Damandeep studied at AIIMS New Delhi and PGI Chandigarh. They were accompanied in today’s mission by Rishab Jain, former senior resident at AIIMS Radiology; Oishika, a senior resident, obstetrics and gynaecology at AIIMS and Avichala Taxak, senior resident from cardiac radiology.

Navdeep said the child was placed on the floor at the back of the plane to ensure proper chest compressions; her airway was secured using an adult mask which happened to be available on board and later an IV line was also established through quick manoeuvres to pump oxygen from a cylinder that was also available into the child.

The emergency response protocol then kicked in under the care of five AIIMS medics.

The top challenge was to ensure proper oxygen to the child.

“The oxygen in the airplane was 21% but the child needed 95%. A long resuscitation process ensued. But that was not all. The infant also suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Somehow a paediatric cannula was available on the aircraft and we secured an IV line which enabled administration of adrenaline as per the resuscitation protocol. To prevent cardiac arrest, we used an automated external defibrillator which was there in the airplane’s emergency kit. After the entire procedure the child started breathing again,” Navdeep explained, adding that maintaining a child’s airway on a moving plane was “extremely tough”.

In the interregnum the flight was diverted to Nagpur and the child placed under medical observation.

”She is safe. I have followed up,” said Navdeep Kaur.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya hailed the doctors for their “heroic efforts to save a life on the flight”.

“Your inspiring act has shown why doctors are called second to God on earth,” said Mandaviya.