Vietnamese doctor saves passenger who faints on plane to Japan

At this time, in the early morning of April 5, the Japanese airline flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Tokyo was about 30 minutes away from landing at Haneda airport. The airplane’s speaker system rang out in three languages ​​(English, Japanese, Vietnamese), looking for doctors to assist passengers with medical problems.

Doctor Tien, working at the Orthopedics Center, Can Tho Central General Hospital, was on the flight and said he had just finished eating and was about to rest when he heard the announcement. He immediately walked towards where a fainting woman was placed on the floor on her side by the flight crew. The patient’s face was pale and he was completely unresponsive.

According to the patient’s husband and son, she had no history of diabetes (a cause that easily leads to hypoglycemia), no hypertension, and had never fainted before. Therefore, Dr. Tien asked the flight attendant to bring a blood pressure monitor and discovered that the patient’s index was 70/40 mmHg.

“This is a dangerous blood pressure level,” Dr. Tien said, one day after the incident. This level of blood pressure can cause arrhythmia, reduce blood flow to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys, leading to irreversible complications such as cerebral infarction or myocardial infarction.

In limited air conditions, it is not possible to immediately determine the cause of the patient’s hypotension. The doctor decided to prioritize the use of isotonic solutions according to emergency recommendations, until the cause is found or there are enough means for an accurate diagnosis.

In the flight crew’s medical emergency kit (doctor kit), there is an isotonic infusion solution (Normal Saline) and a needle. The doctor decided to set up an intravenous line on the spot for the patient.

His main specialty is orthopedic trauma. Dr. Tien said that operations such as placing intravenous lines were regularly performed during his residency training, but he had not touched them for a long time. Meanwhile, the narrow space of the cabin, the plane was losing altitude, shaking slightly, and the watching eyes of many surrounding passengers created even more pressure.

“At that time, I was really a little worried because I don’t do this every day, but in an emergency situation, there’s not much time to hesitate,” Dr. Tien told me. VnExpress. Luckily, the operation went smoothly, the needle was inserted into the right position and the infusion began to flow steadily. In order for the entire flight crew, including a Vietnamese flight attendant and Japanese flight attendants, to coordinate smoothly, Dr. Tien proactively communicated completely in English throughout the emergency process.

About 10 minutes later, when the bottle was half empty, blood pressure gradually improved, the woman regained consciousness and could talk. During the remainder of the flight, the flight attendants continuously measured the patient’s blood pressure every 5 minutes and recorded increasing numbers.

When the plane landed at Haneda airport, all passengers were asked to stay in the cabin so the ground emergency team of 8-10 people could approach the patient. Doctor Tien directly handed over the patient’s condition and treatment steps to the local medical team.

Dr. Tien then continued his domestic flight to Toyama to attend a three-month intensive spine course. Before that, he studied in Japan for 6 months in Yamagata province. He also participated in many courses in Switzerland, Taiwan…

Looking back on the incident, Dr. Tien considers this an unforgettable experience. The process happened quickly, but the feeling of handling an emergency in mid-air, at an altitude of 10,000 m, was something he had never experienced.