Nurse Consultant Punardeep Dhillon assists passenger mid‑flight

August 8, 2025

Nursing Professional Practice team, from left (back row) are Chief Nurse Executive Judy Kornell, Nurse Consultant Program Review (NCPR) Punardeep Dhillon, NCPR Brandon Fong and NCPR David Toman. In the front, from left, are Staff Services Analyst Alina Xiong, NCPR April Rangel and NCPR Carol Parmely.

While aboard a 15-hour direct flight from Delhi to San Francisco, a California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) nurse consultant quickly acted during a mid-flight medical emergency. A passenger’s urgent shout, “My co-passenger! She’s not waking up!” rattled the cabin, triggering panic among those on board.

Punardeep Dhillon, a Nursing Consultant, Program Review (NCPR), wasted no time. He rushed to assess the situation and found an elderly woman, likely in her 70s, slumped in her seat and unresponsive. Despite initial attempts to wake her, she remained unconscious. She had a faint pulse, shallow breathing, and cold, clammy skin — suggesting a syncopal episode likely due to a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Nurse Consultant Punardeep Dhillon, who helped save a woman mid-flight, at CCHCS headquarters. — Punardeep Dhillon

Within 30 seconds, the patient began to regain consciousness. While flight attendants retrieved the medical kit, Dhillon monitored her airway and began a focused assessment, using a manual blood pressure apparatus. As chaos and panic spread throughout the plane, Dhillon remained calm. Despite the noise around him, and his difficulty in hearing the heart tones due to cabin noise, he stayed focused. The patient’s vitals indicated low blood pressure, a pulse below 60 beats per minute, a blood glucose level of 80 mg/dL, and oxygen saturation at 90 percent. He promptly initiated supplemental oxygen via mask.

As the passenger became more alert, Dhillon reassured her: “You fainted, ma’am. You’re okay now. Just breathe slowly. We’ve got you.”

He then offered her orange juice to prevent a possible hypoglycemic episode.

The woman later reported symptoms of lightheadedness, epigastric pain, and mid-chest discomfort. Dhillon administered a fast-acting antacid and a low-dose aspirin from the medical kit to reduce potential heart ischemia. He remained by her side, continually monitoring her condition and providing reassurance to her husband. The woman’s medical history, according to her husband, included hypertension, diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), constipation, and depression.

Though this was his first in-flight medical emergency, Dhillon’s steady, skilled response made a clear impact. The incident, which occurred during a December 2024 flight, is a strong example of the professionalism, calm, and compassion CCHCS staff bring to any setting—even 35,000 feet in the air.

Submitted by CCHCS

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