Cheny

Flyingdoctorwu you placed an IV? ^ I was wondering what is actually available in the medical equipment bag, luckily I never had to use it. My friend once had someone with urosepsis and told me their equipment bag was useless, no drips available.

Slightly off topic but wondering if people have heard of the famous HKG-LHR emergency where a passenger developed a pneumothorax. Rather than diverting the plane there were two doctors available and placed a chest drain using brandy to disinfect, converted a coat hanger to a trochar and used a bottle of evian as an underwater seal. Plane touched down in LHR and patient made an uncomplicated recovery.

cornishsimon

There is actually a kit list knocking around the inter web somewhere listing what BA carries onboard.

In this situation a slightly better worded letter would be appropriate and perhaps a little play with the BA supercomputer to allow for the odd random upgrade without putting it in writing.

Basically the sorts of things that cost very little in the grand scheme of things, appear random but give a hint to the person involved that they are being looked after as a thank you.


cs

chimambu

Does BA have a similar scheme?

chimambu

Not strictly true.

Often the skills required are those of basic life support and general assessment. Often reassurance is what is required. If the super skills of the specialties you mention are really needed then they will not be able to provide it on a plane. A diversion will be needed and you do not require the sub specialisation for that judgment.

In any case the necessary advice outside your speciality is obtained from the ground and you are there to interpret between the patient and ground support in such a scenario.

omk298

If the chest drain incident is the one I'm thinking of then there's a bit more to the story. I worked in the same hospital (much later on) as the surgeon who did the chest drain and the story I heard was that he was asked to see the passenger in question while still on the ground and said she was fine to fly....

bd95

Agree. There's surprisingly little that can be done on a plane except basic life support for the very unwell, and reassurance for others. Cabin crew should be trained in basic life support as part of first aid training, as might others on board. The value of a medical assessment is in spotting the potentially very unwell who might deteriorate from those feeling a bit poorly. And dare I say it, providing reassurance for the crew!

Ziz

I know someone on a US airline who responded to a call for a doctor. He was only a 2nd year med student so very rudimentary knowledge, but basically just reassured the patient, had her relax, etc. and even he walked away with a $250 voucher and a bottle of wine.

Gastrocnemius

I've responded a couple of times on airplanes, but not on BA. Not received (nor expected to) more than a bottle of wine.

The best gratitude I got was actually from Stena Line, after I had responded to a call on a ferry. I received a really nice thank you letter, and a free return journey in their equivalent of first class.

FlyingDoctorwu

Sphygmonanometer 1
Stethoscope 1
Airways, oropharyngeal (3 sizes): 1 pediatric, 1 small adult, 1 large adult or equivalent 3
Self-inflating manual resuscitation device with 3 masks (1 pediatric, 1 small adult, 1 large adult or equivalent) 1:3 masks
CPR mask (3 sizes), 1 pediatric, 1 small adult, 1 large adult, or equivalent 3
IV Admin Set: Tubing w/ 2 Y connectors 1
Alcohol sponges 2
Adhesive tape, 1-inch standard roll adhesive 1
Tape scissors 1 pair
Tourniquet 1
Saline solution, 500 cc 1
Protective nonpermeable gloves or equivalent 1 pair
Needles (2-18 ga., 2-20 ga., 2-22 ga., or sizes necessary to administer required medications) 6
Syringes (1-5 cc, 2-10 cc, or sizes necessary to administer required medications) 4
Analgesic, non-narcotic, tablets, 325 mg 4
Antihistamine tablets, 25 mg 4
Antihistamine injectable, 50 mg, (single dose ampule or equivalent) 2
Atropine, 0.5 mg, 5 cc (single dose ampule or equivalent) 2
Aspirin tablets, 325 mg 4
Bronchodilator, inhaled (metered dose inhaler or equivalent) 1
Dextrose, 50%/50 cc injectable, (single dose ampule or equivalent) 1
Epinephrine 1:1000, 1 cc, injectable, (single dose ampule or equivalent) 2
Epinephrine 1:10,000, 2 cc, injectable, (single dose ampule or equivalent) 2
Lidocaine, 5 cc, 20 mg/ml, injectable (single dose ampule or equivalent) 2
Nitroglycerin tablets, 0.4 mg 10
Basic instructions for use of the drugs in the kit 1

This is the basic miniumium for a kit to contain per FAA guidelines. The kit I recieved also had a larynoscope and endotracheal tube... it did not have a tourniquet, which made placing an IV quite difficult...

I really think the kits should have to automatic blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation machine... The taking of blood pressure at 35K feet is quite a difficult feat... the stethoscope is pretty much worthless...

Yes sorry I agree.. definitely in most cases all is needed is support and reassurance... I actually would probably be the worse candidate for that... but in case of a true emergency, I would want someone with experience with critical situations.... someone who has (recent) experience managing an airway, placing an intravenous line, or performing ACLS... my neighbor (a pediatrician) answered a call for someone who was having a hypoglycemic episode (sugar unreadable on their pocket monitoring)... she tried placing an intravenous line and had difficulty but ultimately succeed and was able to give dextrose... she told me it was the first IV she had placed since residency (ten years)

Unfortunately, at least with Asiana, there was not a ground support service that was accessible to me. and you're absolutely right, I didn't really have the right resources to manage the situation.. I actually would have diverted the plane if it had been my mother but once the patient perked up she insisted we continue (dx: angina-> unrelieved by two rounds of nitro; took another-> hypotension. BP was 60 systolic when I found her.. Gave her fluid and she perked up a bit.)

FDW

JB7

I've only heard this 2nd hand (from a Dr.) but BA does, I was told, have a register that Dr.'s can have themselves placed on (after BA do the requisite checks) so that their presence is know when they fly.

Perhaps someone with more detailed knowledge could elaborate?

Seeing as this topic is being discussed it may be an opportunity for any such BA programme to get a little 'publicity' that could encourage some more Dr.'s to sign up - something I couldn't see a downside in anyway.


EDIT : I've PM'd our friendly Rep, Louise, to see if this is something that's within her remit to post details about.

Can I help you

I don't think this is true, BA used to have registered doctors in all out stations but this has now stopped.

IcHot

Or actual malpractice has increased. Or insurers can charge a higher premium and there's not a competitive market in this sort of insurance. Lots of potential causes for the increase other than what you mentioned.

JB7

You're right CIHY. (Of course!)

Louise came back to me this evening confirming that BA don't in fact have such a programme. I must have dreamed it!!

Maybe it's something they could look at in the future as it seems like a good idea anyway?

pomkiwi

Not just BA. On my last flight with EK in F an unwell patient was moved into the empty seat next to mine. I approached the cabin crew to admit i was a doctor and although I had no particular wish to get involved I would be happy to help if they asked. As it happened they did wake me a little later to ask for my brief assessment to relay to the ground medical team. No thanks of any form offered (nothing expected except maybe a thanks from the purser as we left the plane but that didn't happen).
Rather ironically a complaint I made about very poor service on a flight a week earlier was dismissed by EK as I had apparently failed to acknowledge a medical emergency that all pax in F had been informed of by the purser on that flight (it was the first I'd heard of it)!

Happytohelp

When medical assistance is offered on board, a report will be sent to CR.
The information is then assessed by a medical professional and categorised based on the level of assistance offered. There's 3 categories and will depend on if a gesture is offered.

"All posts are my own and don't represent my employer"