Doctor who saved a critically ill girl on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi was rewarded

(Dan Tri) - "At that moment, my intuition and experience told me that the patient had acute hypocalcemia, and if not treated promptly, it could be life-threatening. But the plane was not an emergency room," the doctor recalled.

On July 1, representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital and the Board of Directors of the unit organized a ceremony to commend and reward two doctors for promptly saving the life of a baby girl on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi .

Doctor Nguyen Van Tien (left cover) receives flowers and awards from Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital (Photo: Hospital).

Previously, on June 26, when the above flight was in the middle of its journey, a little girl suddenly had convulsions, her skin turned purple, and she was at risk of apnea due to acute hypocalcemia.

Faced with the critical situation, specialist doctor Nguyen Van Tien, Head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and specialist doctor Pham Ngoc Trung immediately appeared, coordinated with the flight attendants and crew to perform emergency treatment.

Without full specialized medical equipment, the two doctors still calmly handled the situation, taking advantage of all available conditions on the plane to help the girl temporarily stabilize, overcome the danger until landing and being transferred to a medical facility.

The moment a little girl was in danger of her health on the plane (Photo: BS).

"At that moment, all my knowledge, intuition and experience told me that the patient had acute hypocalcemia, and if not treated promptly, it could be life-threatening. But this (on the plane) was not an emergency room, there was no monitor, and no specific medicine.

I quickly asked if anyone had effervescent calcium tablets. In a few minutes, a hand opened a tube of effervescent tablets with the word "CALCI" written on the outside. I quickly put in 2 tablets and told the child to drink them, along with the solution of keeping warm, encouraging, measuring blood pressure and listening to the heart and lungs to rule out asthma.

As each minute passed, the baby gradually turned pink again, and his breathing became more stable. And his clear eyes gradually opened, looked at me, and then held my hand tightly. I knew I had saved the baby...", Doctor Nguyen Van Tien recounted the moment of unexpected emergency treatment for a 13-year-old patient on the plane.

The Board of Directors of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital commended the life-saving actions of two doctors on the flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi (Photo: Hospital).

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, the actions of the two doctors are a testament to the dedication, solid expertise and medical ethics of the medical staff here. Whether in the hospital or in the community, the mission of protecting people's health is always put first.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/bac-si-cuu-be-gai-nguy-kich-tren-chuyen-bay-tphcm-ha-noi-duoc-khen-thuong-20250701161656077.htm