nsoltz

I seem to have had more than my share of ME flights. In 1999, BOS-LAX (actually, it was AA11-- very scary now to think of it) about an hour into flight passenger behind me fainted. MD on board and family determined it was diabetic hypoglycemic episode and some high-sugar item brought him back. Later into the flight, a man in back of Y showed MI symptoms and we put down in Colorado Springs. Several months later, LAX-ORD I was already seated in F when I saw passenger board pale and sweaty. Didn't look right. Major MI maybe 40 min into flight and we put down in PHX. And the best was 2007 ORD-LHR. I was again in F and an hour into flight some guy came rushing the cockpit and was tackled by FA's , cuffed and seated in F. Seems, according to his father, he was having a diabetic hypoglycemic episode and he tended to run wild and became incoherent when he had such attacks. Fine after 20 minutes but he stayed up front for the duration. I remarked to FA "So that's how you get an upgrade to F."

Cofyknsult

A few years back, well, decades... I am not as young as I look... flying F in 1st row of a LH B 707 (that should indicate the time...) between LAX and FRA, plane leaves gate and returns with announcement that a lady is not feeling well. The lady, obviously dead, is carried off the plane followed by understandingly distraught family. Paperwork delay and we leave again some 1 1/2 hour late. With the help of good winds, we landed in FRA sharp on time and FA (pardon me, "Steward" at that time) concludes his announcement with "And tell your friends... Sick old lady or not, Lufthansa: The On Time airline".

Poor taste anyone ?

PassatDoc

I am an internist and have had roughly half a dozen medical emergencies while on board:

1. LH FRA-LAX a four months pregnant woman began bleeding and having cramps. Long story short, she had placenta previa (placenta overlying the mouth of the uterus). Put her in crew break room in the rear of the 747-400, inserted an IV, and gave her terbutaline (asthma drug that also stops contractions). Emergency began over Greenland. Running low on IV fluid, we diverted to Winnipeg where she was off-loaded to medics. Purser moved me into F for the Winnipeg-LAX segment. She went on to have the baby normally at nine months. LH received a LOT of favorable publicity in the Canadian press. I received a thank you letter from LH CEO Dr. Jürgen Weber and a free J ticket to Europe for my next trip. 1995 (I worked four hours straight on this flight, however)

2. AS Cabo-SD, a dialysis patient was two days late on his treatments because he overstayed in Cabo. Had some fluid build up in his lungs. OK at sea level but became short of breath at altitude (8500 ft equivalent). Put him on oxygen and he was ok. He did not make any urine so I could not try diuretics. Flying over Baja there is no place to divert. I advised cockpit crew to have ambulance waiting at SAN. THe medics escorted him through immigration/customs, but back at sea level he was better. Received a $100 voucher from AS. 1993 Passenger was in F, I was in Y. As F was nearly empty, the cabin crew allowed me to stay in F as long as I wished to monitor him. I sort of moved back and forth between Y and F.

3. Man became nonresponsive upon landing at FRA (AA ORD-FRA), not a diabetic and he'd eaten his meals. A diabetic passenger lent us her glucose meter and his sugar was low. In this case, they paged the doctor while plane finished landing roll and I was actually attending to him while we were taxiing. He perked up with orange juice and sugar. As he was planning to rent a car and drive to Holland, I advised against this and had him evaluated at the FRA airport clinic. Although I carefully documented this event on an AA Incident Report, I never received any acknowledgment, not even a thank you letter. 2005. I even contacted AA Medical and asked for a copy of the report (in case the man went ahead and rented against my advice and then had a wreck) and they had no record of the report.

4. A number of hyperventilation episodes while landing or during turbulence. I never documented these, just helped passengers with paper bag rebreathing.

The worst case I ever heard was a dermatologist I know returning NRT-LAX on NW. He had to manage a heart attack and a passenger with abdominal pain, over the Pacific, and was way outside his specialty, but he came forward to help as the only MD on the plane. NW sent him an effusive thank you letter and directed him to contact a Customer Relations employee for a token of their gratitude, which turned out to be a $100 voucher for his next trip. He sent the voucher back, stating he'd worked seven hours on the flight ($14/hour) and that such compensation was insulting, and his only request was assistance in using his miles to get a free flight to NRT. His daughter lived there, he had 100K+ miles in his NW account but could never find free seats even when booking eight months in advance. I don't know if NW ever replied or helped him use miles for his next flight.

On every flight, I have documented what happened (to protect myself, and yes the FA's always say to give my contact info plus mileage plan number because they often reward rescuers) on the airline's incident report form that the cabin crew carry. It worked twice (LH and AS), but on the AA flight I never heard anything and apparently the report became lost in their system.

Most airlines now have a Emergency Consultation system via satellite, so that if there is a nurse or doctor on board who is having to manage something outside of his or her field of expertise, they can speak with a specialist in that field on the ground (I believe Johns Hopkins Univ operates one of these services). At the time of my LH emergency, the plane only had ground-to-air radio capabilities, there was no way to connect me to an ER in the USA where I could have asked to speak to an obstetrician.

Because of cabin noise, a lot of skills an MD has on the ground become useless. Very difficult to listen to heart and lungs on an airplane. Very difficult to take BP due to noise, however one can derive the systolic BP (upper number) by feeling for a wrist pulse and noting the point at which the pulse disappears when you inflate the cuff. She needed a urinary catheter (so we could monitor urine output) and there was such a catheter in the medical kit on LH. However, no bag to hold the urine, so I asked them to empty a bottle of Absolut vodka into a bowl (our sterilization basin) and the empty Absolut bottle became our urine reservoir.

glenny84

I've definitely had my fair share of emergency landings due to medical issues, however one of the most interesting ones was on a UA flight from FRA to ORD. A pax started to have heart problems somewhere over the North Atlantic...so we diverted towards Iceland. Iceland in January definitely was an experience!

nrr

I've been on two flights with medical emergencies: (1)jfk-lax, a pax, near where I was sitting, was waiting to use the lav and passed out (almost fell on me), he regained consiousness and passed out again--the plane diverted to Pittsburg--with the delay we only arrived 30 minutes late, (2)a medical emergency, but until we diverted to somewhere in CO most pax were unware of the incident. AA did not have landing rights, so most of the delay (once ground medics came) was due to paperwork re airport.

mreed911

Which is sad because, as a licensed paramedic, I have more experience with the contents of that kit than most doctors on board. In that context I'm more than happy to defer to their better education, but I'd hate to think that just because there wasn't a doctor that care for a potential patient would be delayed or withheld.

Jsty

That may be true, but the qualifications to become a licensed paramedic are far from standardized. I think where I'm from, in Alaska, two or three classes are required. Would you rather have a guy who barely passed his classes while training to become a licensed paramedic, or the guy who barely passed his classes for 14 years to become a licensed doctor?

I can certainly understand the airlines viewpoint. For the record, I'd rather have a licensed paramedic. I think the skills that they are taught are far better at stabilizing someone in transit.

jbdk

I do not know.. if I was in distressed and I needed help, i would assist in the RN/Doc helping me of they had their credentials or not. I have seen/visited plenty of doctors, nurses, ER staff, etc.. I think I can make a determination of the person helping me knows what he or she is doing...

jbdk

How about EMTs?

If I was having an heart attack and there was an only an EMT on board, I sure hope he or she would be impeded because the medical kit was not available to them...

RooseveltL

I think very funny and cute under the circumstances.

fishferbrains

I've wondered this - Is O2 "part of the kit"?

FlightNurse

EMT are not allow to open the medical kits on flights. The only medical personel are MD's,DO's,NP's, RN's and Paramedics. They are directed by Medaire, Inc to open the medical kit. I have had the pleasure of working for Medaire in the past.

BrianV

Bolded paragraph was so #winning

jbdk

So an EMT, under the direction of Medaire, have access to medical kits? Or only MDs, RNs have access to the kit under the direction of Medaire?

TWA884

FlightNurse clearly wrote that an EMT will not be allowed to open the kit while a paramedic will be permitted to use it.

The two terms are not synonymous.