Former Silchar Medical College’s Principal, Dr Babul Bezbaruah’s In-Flight Heroics: Saving a Life at 30,000 Feet

Senior physician and former principal of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Dr. Babul Kumar Bezbaruah, on Saturday, saved a 32-year-old man in mid-air while traveling from Delhi to Guwahati on an IndiGo airplane. A fellow passenger from Barpeta suddenly fell ill in mid-air, causing his nasogastric tube to come out of his stomach due to a severe cough, resulting in respiratory distress.

In what the doctor called, “One Hour of Suspense in AIR,” the patient was kept alive with the minimum medical support available in the turbulent aircraft. Once the flight landed in Guwahati, the patient was rushed to a hospital there.

While sharing the details of this amazing feat, Dr. Bezbaruah said, “I was traveling from Delhi to Guwahati with my daughter by Indigo flight on April 5. The flight took off at 9:15 am without delay and was facing some mild turbulence due to bad weather en route. To avoid anxiety due to turbulence, I was listening to some music on my earpods. Suddenly, the crew asked for the help of a doctor on board. I couldn’t hear the announcement over the music. My daughter sitting beside me made me aware of the repeated announcement. Then I walked towards the rear side of the flight to volunteer. There I saw an ill passenger with his nasogastric tube in situ. He was having severe respiratory distress. I showed my iCard to the crew and started examining the passenger.”

From his primary observation, the senior doctor recorded the patient’s vitals: BP 100/60, Pulse 64, abdomen fully distended (not passing stool for 5 days). The oxygen saturation couldn’t be measured due to the absence of an oximeter with the crew. The doctor marked this particular moment as “in trouble.” Still, a small oxygen cylinder was kept on standby for use if needed.

When the pilot, through the crew, asked Dr. Bezbaruah about the seriousness of the patient and whether the flight needed to be diverted, it took him some time to analyze the situation. Sharing the procedure he followed then, the doctor said, “My brain was not working for a moment. It took me 5 minutes to decide. The patient had severe eructation and cough and suddenly saw that the nasogastric tube had already come out of the stomach and was inside the mouth cavity obstructing the airway. One dental technician who was also traveling on the same flight came forward to help me. With his help, I removed the nasogastric tube and cleared the mouth cavity with my fingers. Then I saw he was getting some relief and after taking him to the toilet, he vomited and gradually felt better. When the crew and pilot asked me about the status of the patient, I enquired about how much time would take to land in Guwahati. 45 minutes they said. I convinced myself that nothing would happen to the patient during this 45 min as no signs of cardiac ailments were there. I gave my green signal to the crew and came to my seat.”

During this entire anxious hour, the doctor’s daughter was also tense seeing her father in this situation, dealing with the life and death of a patient. But when told of the positive effect of his treatment, her smile of satisfaction “will be remembered forever,” expressed Bezbaruah.

When asked about the medical condition of the patient, the doctor said, “He was having intestinal obstruction. As the nasogastric tube came out of the stomach due to severe cough, it was obstructing the airway, thereby causing respiratory distress. Owing to the high altitude, the distress was more. Upon landing, I advised the friend who came with him to hospitalize immediately as re-insertion of the nasogastric tube was essential for him. He was a young guy about 32 years working in Delhi. He was seen by a physician there, who advised him of hospitalization. But as he was alone, he wanted to come home and treat at his place in the presence of his family. Hope he is fine now and god bless him.”

When asked about his feeling after the intense experience, the senior physician said, “This was my first experience of dealing with a patient in-flight. Later on, I realized if I could not manage the situation well and the patient needed immediate hospitalization, the flight could be diverted and all 180 passengers would be in trouble. The crew are really smart and trained enough on first aid. The technician also really had a good experience in handling patients. God helped me to make the right decision at the right time.” After completing all formalities and paperwork, the doctor recommended the crew to keep an oximeter on board and finally relaxed with a deep breath.