A miracle 40,000 feet in the air: British-Indian doctor saves man's life twice on flight from UK to Bengaluru

Gulf Today Report

Life is full of unexpected twists and surprises. And that is most evident when there is a crisis or emergency and we are badly looking for help. Then, out of the blue, a saviour who is not related to us or even our friend, comes to our rescue.

This is what happened during a flight from the UK to Bengaluru when a 43-year-old passenger had a cardiac arrest not once but twice. It was then that a British-Indian doctor turned saviour for the man, who almost died twice during the 10-hour Air India flight.

The doctor, Vishwaraj Vemala, a consultant hepatologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, finally saved the passenger's life, but not before trying hard to resuscitate him for five hours.

Vemala was flying from the UK to Bengaluru with his mother when the first cardiac arrest happened.

Vemala attempted to resuscitate the passenger, who at the time did not have a pulse and was not breathing.

"It took about an hour of resuscitation before I was able to get him back. Luckily, they (the cabin crew) had an emergency kit, which included resuscitative medication to enable life support," Vemala said while sharing his experience.

Apart from oxygen and an automated external defibrillator, Vemala, with the help of other passengers, managed to get hold of a heart-rate monitor, blood pressure machine, pulse oximeter and glucose meter to keep an eye on the patient's vital signs.

The passenger then went into cardiac arrest for a second time, and this time it took longer to resuscitate him, according to Indo-Asian News Service.

"In total, he was without a good pulse or decent blood pressure for nearly two hours of the flight, alongside the cabin crew, we were trying to keep him alive for five hours in total," Vemala said in a statement released by University Hospitals Birmingham.

Desperately trying to save his life, Vemala and the pilot knew that he had to land somewhere immediately if the man had to survive. Now, the nearest airfield was in Pakistan, but for some reason whatsover, permission to land was denied to the pilot.

Instead, they were able to arrange for landing at Mumbai airport, where an emergency crew was waiting for them on the ground.

By the time the flight landed, the passenger was resuscitated and was able to speak.

"I don't think I have ever treated a cardiac arrest during my job... Obviously during my medical training, it was something I had experience dealing with, but never 40,000 feet in the air!" Vemala said.

He said that it was the first time in his seven years as a consultant that his mother saw him 'in action'. "She was crying a lot."

Vemala was able to leave the patient safe and stable with the emergency team at Mumbai Airport, with very detailed notes and observations he'd shown cabin crew how to take.

"This was indeed a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life," he said.

Vemala graduated from Bangalore University in 1999, and completed post-graduate training in Bengaluru in 2002.

He completed basic specialist training in London (2006) at St George's University Hospital. Later, he undertook a period of research in the Dame Sheila Sherlock Liver Unit at the Royal Free, London (2009).