British Indian doctor saves man's life twice on 10-hr London to Bengaluru flight

Dr Vishwaraj Vemala resuscitated the patient twice during the flight and managed to keep him alive for five hours before the flight made an emergency landing at Mumbai Airport.

London/Hyderabad: A British Indian liver specialist battled for five hours to save the life of a passenger on a long-haul Air India (AI 128) flight from London to Bengaluru, resuscitating the patient twice, according to media reports. Dr Vishwaraj Vemala, 48, who works at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, was on his way to India with his mother when a fellow passenger went into cardiac arrest, BBC reported.

Aided by medical supplies on board, including a pace monitoring device and blood pressure monitoring machine, and other items from passengers, Dr Vemala twice resuscitated the 43-year-old in November. "Obviously during my medical training, it was something I had experience dealing with, but never 40,000 feet in the air," the doctor said, adding that he would remember the experience for the rest of his life.

Cabin crew on board the Air India flight from London frantically began searching for a doctor when the passenger suffered a cardiac arrest and was left without a pulse and not breathing. "It took about an hour of resuscitation before I was able to get him back," Dr Vemala said. "Luckily, they had an emergency kit, which to my utter surprise, included resuscitative medication to enable life support."

However, other than oxygen and an automatic defibrillator, the doctor said, there was little to help monitor how the patient was doing. After speaking to other passengers on board the Air India flight from London, Dr Vemala was able to track down various pieces of equipment including a heart-rate monitor, pulse oximeter, glucose metre, and blood pressure machine.

The patient later suffered a second cardiac arrest, requiring even more lengthy resuscitation. "We were trying to keep him alive for five hours in total," he said. The pilot arranged for landing at Mumbai Airport where emergency crews took over and the passenger was taken to safety, after thanking Dr Vemala for saving his life.

“I remember it was extremely emotional for us all when we heard we could land in Mumbai. By the time we landed the passenger had been resuscitated and was able to speak with me. Nevertheless, I insisted he go to a hospital to be checked over,” the doctor said and added, "it was also the first time in my seven years as a consultant that my mum had seen me in action, so that made it even more emotional."

The consultant hepatologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said the patient thanked him with tears in his eyes. 'I am forever indebted to you for saving my life', the doctor quoted the patient as saying. "This was indeed a moment that I will remember for rest of my life," the doctor said. (with Agency inputs)