Toddler stops breathing mid-air on Bengaluru-Delhi flight, AIIMS doctors save her. Here's how

In a miraculous incident, a group of five AIIMS doctors saved the life of a two-year-old toddler, who stopped breathing mid-air onboard a Bengaluru to Delhi Vistara flight on Sunday, by administering emergency medical treatment.

The incident took place on Sunday night when a group of five senior doctors of AIIMS was returning to Delhi after attending a medical event in Bengaluru. They were onboard the Vistara flight UK-814.

AIIMS Delhi shared the incident on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter). “While returning from ISVIR- on board Bangalore to Delhi flight today evening, in Vistara Airline flight UK-814- A distress call was announced,” the hospital wrote.

“It was a 2-year-old cyanotic female child who was operated outside for intracardiac repair, was unconscious and cyanosed,” it further said.

Following the call, five doctors who have been identified — Dr. Navdeep Kaur, Dr. Damandeep Singh, Dr. Rishab Jain, Dr. Oishika, and Dr. Avichala Taxak — started the emergency medical treatment and examined the child.

The child was examined immediately as his pulse was absent extremities were cold, and the child was not breathing with cyanosed lips and fingers, the post read.

“On air- Immediate CPR was started and with limited resources, using skilled work and active management by the team. Successfully IV cannulas were placed, an oropharyngeal airway was put and an emergency response was initiated by whole team of residents on board- and the baby for brought to ROSC- the return of circulation,” it said. 

For around 45 minutes, the baby was resuscitated and flight was routed to Nagpur as it was complicated by another cardiac arrest for which an AED was used, AIIMS Delhi further wrote. 

“On reaching Nagpur, the child was handed over in stable hemodynamic to the pediatrician,” the AIIMS post added.