'Thank you for trying': Doctor shares heartfelt exchange with wife of passenger who died on SIA Milan-bound flight

A passenger on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Singapore to Milan lost consciousness after take-off and died despite efforts to resuscitate him.

Dr Desmond Wai, who was on SIA flight SQ378 from Singapore to Milan on Nov 5, heard an announcement asking if there were any doctors available to assist with a medical emergency two hours after takeoff.

The gastroenterologist and hepatologist posted a video on TikTok on Thursday (Nov 6) night recounting the incident.

"Some passenger stopped breathing on the plane," recounted the 56-year-old. "They woke me up at 2am [and] asked me to help. So from 2am to 2.30am we did [cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)] and failed."

He said that he, along with two other doctors, went to the rear of the cabin to provide assistance and found a middle-aged man lying unconscious on the floor.

The man had no pulse, and when the crew's use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) failed, the three doctors took turns performing CPR.

The deceased was a terminal cancer patient, and his wife was also on the plane at the time, reported 8world.

"The three of us felt there was no point continuing. [His] pupils were dilated, there was no spontaneous heartbeat or movement and his heart had stopped," said Dr Wai in the video.

He also revealed that the deceased's wife approached him after the incident.

"The wife of the deceased came to me in tears, and she said, 'Thank you, doctor for trying'," he said.

"That was the most touching moment."

In a phone interview with AsiaOne, Dr Wai said that he was travelling to Milan with his wife and their 16-year-old son.

His two colleagues, whom he identified as "Dr Ang" and "Dr Oh", who aided in the resuscitation efforts, were travelling to Barcelona to attend a medical conference and happened to be on the same flight.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, SIA said: "[We have] a set of standard operating procedures in place to handle various in-flight medical emergencies. Our cabin crew, who are trained in first aid, will assess the situation and assist as required. If necessary, they may also request for assistance from any medical personnel who are on board the flight."

SIA expressed their deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and also extended their heartfelt appreciation to passengers, including the medical personnel who were on board, who helped during the medical emergency.

Due to privacy reasons, they are unable to share further details about the customer or the medical emergency, added SIA.

[[nid:724620]]

esther.lam@asiaone.com