Several hours into a transatlantic flight from Spain to the United States, a 2-year-old boy began to experience a terrifying asthma attack. He cried, wheezed and fell short of breath. His parents scrambled for the inhaler before realizing they accidentally packed his medication in their checked luggage.
Luckily, there was a hero onboard the flight with just the right amount of quick-thinking skills and medical expertise to save the boy. As the child's parents shouted for medical assistance, enter Dr. Khurshid Guru, director of Robotic Surgery at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Using an oxygen meter, Dr. Guru found the child's oxygen level was dipping to a dangerous level. Despite the fact he doesn't typically treat children, he knew he had to something to help.
The plane only had an adult inhaler, and Dr. Guru was concerned the toddler was too young to understand how to use it properly. What this doctor did next is taking the internet by storm, and has dubbed this man a "Medical MacGyver." Keep reading…
Mom and Dad were recently on a long flight with their 2-year-old son. Several hours into the flight, the little boy began having an asthma attack. His parents went into panic mode when they realize they'd left the asthma medication in their checked luggage!
The transatlantic flight was traveling from Spain to the United States and was in mid-flight over the ocean when the asthma attack began. The boy began crying and gasping for breath. He needed medical assistance, and fast.
Dr. Khurshid Guru happened to be a passenger on that very same flight. Though he doesn't treat children and normally works with high-tech robots to treat patients, Dr. Guru came up with a brilliant plan to help the little boy breathe again.
The plane only had an adult inhaler, and Dr. Guru was concerned the toddler was too young to understand how to properly breathe the medicine in and hold it in his lungs. So, he created a makeshift nebulizer that delivered both oxygen and asthma medication.
To create the brilliant contraption, the surgeon collected items from the plane. He cut up a water bottle and added oxygen to one end and the adult inhaler through a hole in a plastic bottle. Thus, the oxygen and medication was delivered through the bottle's opening, directly to the crying child.
Because of his ability to jerry-rig a lifesaving nebulizer in minutes flat, the media has dubbed Dr. Guru a "Medical MacGyver." When he's not saving children's lives on airplanes, Dr. Khurshid Guru is the director of Robotic Surgery at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
After a couple more treatments, Dr. Guru was relieved to see his young patient breathing again. He wants to share this story as a powerful reminder to parents of asthmatic children to always keep their medication close, and to always carry it on their per
This is a powerful reminder to anyone with a loved one who suffers from asthma — or any illness that requires emergency medication — to always keep your medicine close. Thanks to Dr. Guru, a little boy can breathe easier. Please SHARE this story with your friends on Facebook!
