ILBS, AIIMS doctors save 2-year-old who stopped breathing on board Vistara flight

A two-year-old girl who stopped breathing on board a Bengaluru-Delhi Vistara flight shortly after take off was saved by five doctors, including four from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here, travelling in the same flight.

The four AIIMS resident doctors and one from ILBS performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on the child mid-air after the crew made an emergency announcement.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the doctors for saving a precious life.

"Kudos to the team of doctors of @AIIMS_NewDelhi for their heroic life-saving efforts on the flight and for saving a precious life. Your inspiring act has shown why doctors are called second to God on earth," he posted on X.

"Praying for the good health and quick recovery of the kid," he added.

According to officials, the flight took off at 9 pm on Sunday and around 30 minutes after take-off, a distress announcement was made to seek help from any doctor available on board.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) also talked about the incident in a social media post.

"While returning from ISVIR- on board Bangalore to Delhi flight Sunday evening, in Vistara Airline flight UK-814- A distress call was announced. It was a 2-year-old cyanotic female child who was operated outside for intracardiac repair, was unconscious and cyanosed," it said on X, formerly Twitter.

"Dr Navdeep Kaur, senior resident, Anesthesia; Dr Damandeep Singh, senior resident, Cardiac Radiology; Dr Rishab Jain, ex-senior resident, AIIMS Radiology; Dr Oishika, senior resident, OBG' and Dr Avichala Taxak, senior resident, Cardiac Radiology were on board,' it added.

One among the five resident doctors said the child had undergone open intracardiac repair surgery in Bengaluru three weeks ago for complex congenital heart disease (Dextrocardia, situs inversus and total anomalous pulmonary venous connection).

He said the child was immediately examined, adding that her pulse was absent and extremities were cold. He said the child was not breathing with cyanosed lips and fingers.

"Immediate CPR was started mid-air, and with limited resources, using skilled work and active management by the team. Successfully IV canulla was placed, oropharyngeal airway was put and emergency response was initiated by the whole team of residents on board. The child was brought to ROSC- return of circulation," the doctor said.

He added that the exercise was complicated by another cardiac arrest for which an AED (automated external defibrillator) was used, and the child was finally resuscitated.

The flight was routed to Nagpur and the child was handed over to a pediatrician there in a stable condition.

Elaborating upon the deft medical intervention, another doctor said, 'The child's airway was maintained using three maneuvers -- head tilt, jaw thrust and chin lift -- and positive pressure ventilation was initiated using on board available face mask (adult size) attached to AMBU bag and pediatric oropharyngeal airway.

"Chest compressions were given according to pediatric life support protocol. To connect oxygen cylinder to the AMBU bag, tubing which was required was harvested from on-board available emergency oxygen mask. In the extreme harsh circumstances with limited availability, an I.V line was secured in first attempt and emergency drugs (Adrenaline) were given as per the weight of child every three to five minutes. On board available AED was skillfully utilized to deliver cardiac shock, and further CPR was continued," he explained.