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When the flight attendants asked if there were any doctors on board during this flight, they got a two-for-one deal.<\/p>\n
Wu Jinfeng and Chen Peijun (transliteration), a married couple who are both doctors, were on a Singapore Airlines flight from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Singapore on May 11 when a fellow passenger suffered anaphylactic shock.<\/p>\n
The 34-year-old Malaysians stepped in to save the man, providing emergency treatment and preventing the flight from being diverted, they recounted to Lianhe Zaobao.<\/p>\n
Wu and Chen heard a call for assistance from flight attendants after lunch at around 1.30pm New Zealand time (9.30am Singapore time) and immediately offered assistance.<\/p>\n
The stricken man had been unconscious for about two minutes at this point and had just regained consciousness according to his wife, the doctors shared.<\/p>\n
They found his condition to be unstable, with a heart rate of only 38 beats per minute and a blood oxygen content of 88 per cent. They also found his tongue and lips to be swollen, and erythema (red rash) on his body.<\/p>\n
The man also had a history of stroke and heart disease, and the doctors found the situation complicated by the limited medical equipment on board and a malfunctioning stethoscope.<\/p>\n
At first, Wu and Chen tried to give the man intravenous fluids and oxygen but as his condition remained unstable, they administered an adrenaline injection to prevent him from going into shock again.<\/p>\n
As the man’s condition stabilised, the doctors coordinated with ground medical teams and left him with them for further observation after landing to catch their connecting flight.<\/p>\n
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Chen is awaiting posting in a psychiatrist role after completing the Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists exams in the UK. She is currently undergoing further training at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak.<\/p>\n
Her husband Wu was previously employed at the Penang General Hospital and is now working in the private sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Strangely enough, this was the third medical emergency he had encountered on a flight in 45 days, with the previous being only five days prior on an Auckland to Christchurch flight.<\/p>\n
[[nid:730688]]<\/p>\n
drimac@asiaone.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n