Bangladeshi doctor treats patient at 30,000 feet!

“LADIES and gentlemen, please may I have your attention. We have a medical emergency on board. If you are a doctor please make yourself known to a member of cabin crew.”
Thankfully this isn’t a phrase we hear often, but when Dr Kazi Azad heard this announcement during a recent flight he didn’t hesitate to put himself forward.
Dr Azad, a consultant physician working in the Acute Medical Unit at Basildon University Hospital, was on a flight from Jeddah to Frankfurt in April, when his medical skills were called upon to help a passenger who had become critically unwell.
Dr Azad describes what happened: “The cabin crew took me to the rear of the plane, where a lady in her 20’s was lying across a number of seats, unconscious and pale.
To give me enough space to fully assess her, the cabin crew laid her on the floor in the kitchen area.
“There was medical kit on board, so I was able to establish that her blood pressure and oxygen levels were very low. I also checked her blood sugar which was normal. After giving her oxygen she slowly came around enough to tell me, through a member of the cabin crew who was interpreting, that she was breathless and her throat and chest felt tight.
“I initially thought it was either a clot in the lung or anaphylaxis. I understood that she had experienced a sudden facial swelling on the flight out to Jeddah. I briefly examined her, gave an adrenalin injection to address anaphylaxis and put a cannula in her arm to start giving intravenous fluids. I monitored her blood pressure closely and attached a portable defibrillator and saturation probe to monitor her heart rhythm, pulse and blood oxygen level.
“Her condition gradually started to improve over the next couple of hours so an emergency landing was not needed. I sat with her for the rest of the flight. We were given seats in business class, and I felt like I had earned the very nice breakfast I was served. When we arrived in Frankfurt the passenger was met by paramedics and taken straight to hospital.
“The crew said they were very grateful that I was on the flight. I must give credit to them as they were very calm and professional, listened to what I said and followed my direction throughout.”
Mr. Lothar Zell, head of Lufthansa’s Medical Service: “Lufthansa Group operates about 3,000 flights daily, and in the rare case of a medical emergency during a flight, passengers often benefit from the immediate assistance provided by medical doctors who happen to be on board. We greatly appreciate this help and provide specific doctors’ kits on all flights, to ensure a first treatment can be supplied.
In an email to Dr Azad, the airline adds: “On behalf of our medical department and customer relations we sincerely thank you for your support. It is indeed very comforting for us to know that our guest was taken care of. Your help in this special situation is greatly appreciated.