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Medical Emergency at 35000 feet Have you ever been in a situation where you volunteered before realising that the task is far greater than you anticipated and feel like the little boy at the Dutch dyke, short of another 10 fingers and toes?On a recent flight to Ghana this exact situation happened to me. I was on an overnight flight - which I enjoy, as I sleep well on flights (day or night for that matter), when at about 2am, all the lights were stitched on. I was seated quiet far back on the plane and had an aisle seat. As the 200 or so of us came to our senses and were on the verge of getting annoyed an announcement for a “Doctor on Board” was made. I watched closely as the call was “downgraded” to a Nurse, then a Paramedic and before they said “Is there an ex Boy Scout with a First Aid badge”, I went forward. I was briskly taken down to the crew’s sleeping quarters and introduced to an American gentleman clutching his chest. I made a tentative enquiry about a medical kit. As the last of four very comprehensive trauma bags were unpacked, I looked wearily at the defibrillator and hoped we wouldn’t get that far. A medical emergency on a six hour flight at 35000 feet is not fun. Thankfully the gentleman improved following the application of oxygen and a good dose of aspirin. After two hours of careful monitoring, his blood pressure stabilised, his pulse rate normalised and the pain dissipated. In hindsight, I was very fortunate that I only had to deal with “stable” angina and not a full Myocardial infarction. Interestingly enough, experts believe that nearly 7 million people in the United States suffer from angina. About 400,000 people go to their doctors with new cases of angina every year. The condition occurs equally in men and women. After a couple of months, I had forgotten about the incident until the attached arrived! Thank you SAA |
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