SafetyPro2
Forum Safety Officer
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So, was flying back home from the in-laws today, on a flight from Indianapolis to Dallas, then onto LA. I'm thoroughly engrossed in "The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" when I hear, over the PA:
"If there is a doctor aboard the aircraft, please ring your call button."
Not hearing any rings, as the flight attendant comes down the aisle, I say "I'm an EMT if that's any help." He says that they think they've got him [the patient] under control now, but will call on me if they need.
So, we cruise along, and then over the PA comes the announcement that we've been cleared for a priority landing because they "kinda declared a medical emergency" (I swear he said "kinda") and would we all kindly stay in our seats when we land so that the EMS crew can come in. We land, taxi straight to the gate (quickest taxi I've ever had) and in come two DFD paramedics and an airport cop. At first they were gonna deplane us one row at a time to keep the aisle relatively clear, but the medics decided we could all deplane before they took the patient off.
Never did get to see the patient or find out exactly what was going on, but I overheard the flight attendant talking with the co-pilot and saying something along the lines of "Yeah, apparently, if he yawns wrong, he sometimes stops breathing."
I was sorely tempted to go back and see, but I figured offering my services to the crew was as far as I could go, and if they didn't ask for it, it wasn't really my place to intrude (I know there's things they can do that I'm not even allowed to anyway) and I don't think there was really anything I could do that they hadn't already done (saw them returning a BP cuff, steth and O2 kit to the front shortly after the first announcement). Besides, at 30,000 feet and over Texas, I'm really just a well-trained layperson anyway. Anyone else ever had an experience like this on a flight?
"If there is a doctor aboard the aircraft, please ring your call button."
Not hearing any rings, as the flight attendant comes down the aisle, I say "I'm an EMT if that's any help." He says that they think they've got him [the patient] under control now, but will call on me if they need.
So, we cruise along, and then over the PA comes the announcement that we've been cleared for a priority landing because they "kinda declared a medical emergency" (I swear he said "kinda") and would we all kindly stay in our seats when we land so that the EMS crew can come in. We land, taxi straight to the gate (quickest taxi I've ever had) and in come two DFD paramedics and an airport cop. At first they were gonna deplane us one row at a time to keep the aisle relatively clear, but the medics decided we could all deplane before they took the patient off.
Never did get to see the patient or find out exactly what was going on, but I overheard the flight attendant talking with the co-pilot and saying something along the lines of "Yeah, apparently, if he yawns wrong, he sometimes stops breathing."
I was sorely tempted to go back and see, but I figured offering my services to the crew was as far as I could go, and if they didn't ask for it, it wasn't really my place to intrude (I know there's things they can do that I'm not even allowed to anyway) and I don't think there was really anything I could do that they hadn't already done (saw them returning a BP cuff, steth and O2 kit to the front shortly after the first announcement). Besides, at 30,000 feet and over Texas, I'm really just a well-trained layperson anyway. Anyone else ever had an experience like this on a flight?