Pilot Conducts Emergency Landing to Save Baby in Cardiac Arrest

Passengers say a baby who reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest was fortunate that a doctor happened to be aboard a Saturday KLM flight to Singapore.

When an Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)-bound KLM flight diverted to Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) this weekend, very few passengers on the plane were likely thinking about the potential for a long delay. Three hours into the thirteen-hour trip, a baby boy on the flight had suffered an apparent cardiac arrest.

Fortunately, an M.D. on the flight was able to revive the stricken infant, but the Daily Mail reports that the small child’s condition did not improve substantially while the pilot raced to the nearest airport to get proper medical attention for the baby.

The well known DJ, Mental Theo, who was aboard the flight, credited the captain and the unidentified doctor with saving the infant’s life. “The child seemed to have had a cardiac arrest,” he told RTL Nieuws. “A doctor on board got the child conscious again using medical equipment. The captain decided to find a safe airport for medical help as quickly as possible.” The popular Netherlands-based musician told reporters that he considered the pilot a “hero” because of the quick and decisive actions taken to save the child’s life.

Just after midnight the following day, as the flight prepared to continue its trip to SIN, passengers celebrated not just the fact that they were finally on their way to their destination, but also a brief announcement from the captain that the stricken child was safely at the hospital and doing well.

[Photo: KLM]