Passenger saves life at airport in absence of doc

Bangalore: A US-based doctor of Indian origin, Bharani Oggu, was hailed at Mumbai airport on Friday evening for saving the life of a passenger who suffered a heart attack near the boarding gate. She completed the rescue act single-handedly, as the airport doctor was busy attending another patient.
Dr Oggu, on a holiday, rushed to Palanichamy’s help when she heard an SOS over the public address system. Palanichamy, 47, had completed the security check and was headed towards Gate A5 at Terminal IC at around 6.30 pm. He soon collapsed, and the airline staff rushed to his help. Realising he had suffered a stroke, they called for the airport doctor, but he was not available. Dr Oggu was also waiting for a flight to Hyderabad.
Dr Oggu said, “The patient was struggling to breathe and had no pulse. The crowds around him added to the chaos. I began by unfastening his belt, removing his shoes and pumped his chest.”
Dr Oggu administered the patient cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). She was helped by some passengers who massaged Palanichamy’s soles.
She said, “Medically, this condition is called ventricular fibrillation. I needed to administer the patient life-saving drugs. But nothing was forthcoming. Somehow, after about 20 minutes, I could revive his pulse. I first realised he could be saved when he opened his eyes and said, ‘Bombay jaana hain’. I told him to relax.”
Dr Oggu said after almost 25 minutes, medics arrived to attend to Palanichamy, followed by the airport doctor. She said, “A delay of 30 minutes could have proved fatal for the patient.” Senior cardiac surgeon Dr Ramakant Panda, in whose hospital Palanichamy was taken to from the airport, was all praise for Dr Oggu.
An MIAL official said, “The airport doctor was attending a patient in the medical room in Terminal 1B, and that’s why an announcement was made to seek help from passengers. The airport doctor attended Palanichamy within 15 minutes of him suffering the stoke.”
04/07/10 Renuka Phadnis and Aneesh Phadnis/Bangalore Mirror

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Categories: Airports Jul 2010