Overview
- Nelson Castro, a well-known Argentine journalist who trained as a neurologist, reported that he treated a passenger during a technical stop in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday and helped stabilize her condition.
- Castro described the woman as having a severe cardiac block with extremely low blood pressure, reporting a reading of about 60/30 and saying she was near cardiac arrest.
- After onboard care, airport medical staff, a physician and paramedics boarded the plane, removed the patient and took her immediately to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
- Castro said the flight location mattered to his decision, noting that had the event occurred over the Atlantic he would have advised the captain to return to Rio because of the severity of the case.
- The incident occurred while Castro was traveling to join the press contingent covering Pope León XIV’s regional tour, and outlets report no independent follow-up yet on the patient’s condition.