Doctor saves girl with hypocalcemia on plane

On the flight to Hanoi, the doctor and his colleagues promptly handled the situation, saving the girl who suffered from hypocalcemia - a dangerous electrolyte disorder that can lead to cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest.

A young girl who suffered from hypocalcemia on an airplane was promptly treated by doctors at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Provided by the doctor.

On June 29th, Dr. Nguyen Van Tien, head of the surgical department 2 at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, stated that during a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi , he and his colleagues successfully saved a 12-13 year old girl suffering from hypocalcemia (low blood calcium).

Fifteen minutes after takeoff, the internal announcement system blared: "Is there a doctor on board? We need urgent medical assistance."

Dr. Tien and his colleague, Dr. Pham Ngoc Trung, walked towards the back of the airplane cabin as instructed by the flight attendant.

Here, a girl, about 12-13 years old, lies in the arms of a relative, her hands and feet ice-cold, her skin bluish, sweating profusely, breathing heavily, and showing signs of mild convulsions.

After a quick check of vital signs, Dr. Tien quickly determined that the baby might be suffering from acute hypocalcemia – a dangerous electrolyte disorder that, if not treated promptly, can lead to respiratory and cardiac arrest.

However, airplanes are not emergency rooms; they don't have monitors, specialized medications, or professional equipment, only a few basic first-aid kits for the flight crew.

In this situation, Dr. Tien shouted loudly in the airplane cabin, "Does anyone have any calcium effervescent tablets? The kind that are commonly used in sports ?"

About a minute later, a passenger brought out a tube of effervescent calcium tablets. The doctor mixed the tablets with water and gave them to the child to drink, while closely monitoring vital signs and ruling out other possibilities such as asthma.

Fortunately, just a few minutes later, the baby's pulse stabilized, her skin gradually turned pink, her breathing became more regular, and she opened her eyes and tightly grasped the doctor's hand.

The chief flight attendant quickly invited the two doctors and the child patient to the business class cabin for easier monitoring. At the same time, the captain requested priority for an early landing at Noi Bai Airport. As soon as the plane touched down, ground medical personnel were waiting to receive the girl and transport her to the nearest medical facility.

Acute hypocalcemia requires immediate emergency treatment.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung from the National Institute of Nutrition, hypocalcemia is a condition where the calcium level in the blood falls below the permissible limit, causing symptoms such as numbness in the hands and feet, dizziness, and even seizures and fainting.

When these symptoms appear, they need to be thoroughly checked to avoid misdiagnosis as a condition such as hypoglycemia.

Some common symptoms of acute hypocalcemia include seizures and severe muscle spasms. These cases require immediate emergency medical attention for prompt treatment.

XUAN MAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bac-si-cuu-be-gai-bi-ha-canxi-mau-ngay-tren-may-bay-20250629080918989.htm