Senior gynaecologist stabilizes youth suffering from hypotension on flight from Delhi to Mumbai

Oxygen was administered to the patient by the crew

A senior gynaecologist recently stabilized a fellow passenger in need of urgent medical attention 32,000 feet above sea level on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai.

Dr Niranjan Chavan, obstetrician and gynaecologist at Sion hospital and president of the Mumbai Obstetrics & Gynaecological Society, told mid-day, "On December 17, I was travelling in an Air Vistara UK957 Delhi to Mumbai flight. At 9.30 pm, the air hostess announced thrice, ‘Is there a doctor on the flight? We have a medical emergency'."

Sushant Shelke

Abandoning his meal, the doctor marched to the back of the plane where he was a breathless man in his early thirties whose eyes were rolled-up.

Also Read: Measles outbreak in Mumbai: No need of serosurvey yet, says Maharashtra task force

Dr Chavan recalled, "He was Sushant Shelke, an engineer by profession. I checked his pulse and confirmed it on my smartwatch. It was a very feeble 96 BPM. His blood pressure was low. He had hypotension and cold clammy hands."

Dr Niranjan Chavan, gynaecologist

According to the gynaecologist, the youth had been fasting for three days and had not eaten the food provided by the airline as it was not to his liking.

"He had only had tea and biscuits the entire day. Oxygen was administered by the crew while I placed sugar on his tongue. Fruit juice was also given to him. I massaged his hands to increase the warmth in his body," Dr Chavan said.

Shelke's blood pressure eventually came up and he settled down after 45 minutes of treatment. "I sat beside him till the plane landed," the doctor said.

Amid the tense situation, air hostesses Kavita and Shipra and steward Hamarzyde displayed alertness. The plane made an emergency landing at Mumbai airport at 11.10 pm. Passengers were asked to wait to deplane as the airport doctor came on board and took Shelke under his observation. "The captain met and thanked me after the plane landed. I was asked to fill out a form mentioning details such as my name, medical degree and MMC (Maharashtra Medical Council) registration number. I was the last passenger to deplane. I never thought my day would end up like this. This was a unique experience to treat a patient mid-air," Dr Chavan said.

17
Day in December when incident occurred