Dr. Mittal Cares For Patients – Everywhere He Can!

4/15/2024

A medical emergency can happen anywhere – including, as Ben Thienes could tell you – 35,000 feet in the air.

Ben, who is chief of staff for the University of Arizona Football program, was flying to San Francisco when he began feeling dizzy. As he walked to the back of the plane to try and get his bearings, he fainted – and cracked his head hard on the way down.

“I woke up disoriented and bleeding, thinking, ‘Oh, no,’” he remembers.

Fortunately, Dr. Abhinav “Ab” Mittal – a critical care medicine specialist and interventional pulmonologist with Northwest Healthcare – was on the plane, as well.

At the beginning of Dr. Mittal’s assessment, Ben couldn't remember what he was doing or where he was going. He could, however, remember the names and contact information for the most important people in his life – his wife and children. He gave Dr. Mittal his wife’s number, and after Dr. Mittal had finished stabilizing and bandaging Ben’s head wound, he began communicating with Ben’s wife, so she wouldn’t be worried.

“It was so great to have a doctor there, checking me out,” Ben says, “He was super gracious – he even sent a photo of me, with my head bandaged, to my wife as proof that I was OK. By the time the plane landed, I was feeling better and EMS was ready to take the next steps.”

Thanks to Dr. Mittal – and to all our providers – who are ready to take care of people whenever (and wherever) necessary!

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