For 58-year-old Babariya, AI 331 was a flight to death. When the Gujarat resident boarded the Mumbai-bound Air India flight from Bangkok on Wednesday night, all was well.
But almost an hour after take-off, Babariya suffered a cardiac arrest. He was already a diabetic and two of his friends travelling with him could do little. Of the 243 other passengers, none was a doctor.
Captain Sarabjeet Singh and co-pilot Pranay Misal were facing a situation.
The pilots radioed ATC, Kolkata, and told the tower that a passenger's condition was serious and they may have to make an emergency landing.
As the ATC was gearing up for the unscheduled landing, the captain came on the radio again.
The message this time was that Babariya's condition has deteriorated. The desperate captain then enquired the ATC if it was possible to bring a doctor to the tower for emergency treatment advice. He apprehended that by the time the flight lands at the airport, it will be too late.
The ATC rose to the occasion and got the Airports Authority of India to rush a few of its panel doctors to the control tower.
The doctors advised the air crew about the emergency procedures and the latter followed the advice. Some of the passengers, too, came to Babariya's help.
"The pilot's presence of mind and immediate action resulted in an uncommon situation where AAI doctors advised the best possible emergency treatment till the plane landed," said an airline spokesperson.
After some time, the plane landed in Kolkata and Babariya and two of his associates were deplaned there. Babariya was then admitted to a private hospital. Though the attempts by the air crew and the ATC were successful, the trauma mid-air was too much for him and he didn't survive for long. On Friday, Babariya died at the hospital.
According to experts from medical fraternity, a plane normally flies between 28,000 to 45,000 feet above ground. Cabin pressure inside an aircraft at times can have an effect on older passengers or those suffering from medical ailments like cardio diseases. The psychological stress of travelling across time zones and untimely eating and sleep also affect the health of passengers suffering from certain medical ailments.
There have been many instances when flights have had to make emergency landing, including at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, because of emergency medical situations and passengers falling sick. As per DGCA rule, airports should have medical aid and doctors.
Dr J P Jadwani, Cardiologist at Lilavati Hospital, says, "A lot many times due to acute diabetes, the sugar level shoots up, leading to cardiac arrest. Many such cases of diabetes patient sustaining cardic arrest are reported. The atmosphere and stress during the traveling combined with medical history of the passenger also plays a role in it." he added
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