Hostname: page-component-65b85459fc-bczq6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-15T17:01:54.695Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

On a wing and a prayer: medical emergencies on board commercial aircraft

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Robert Drummond  and
Alan J. Drummond
Robert Drummond*
Affiliation:
St.Mary’s Hospital Center, Montreal, Que.
Alan J. Drummond
Affiliation:
Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital, Perth, Ont.
*
St. Mary’s Hospital Center, 3830 Lacombe Ave., Montreal QC H3T 1M5; fax 514 486-7144, robdrum mond@videotron.ca

Abstract:

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Medical emergencies sometimes arise in the isolated and confined environment of a commercial aircraft. Because a physician passenger may be on board in 40% to 90% of all commercial flights, it follows that this physician may be asked to render assistance to an acutely ill passenger. Although data suggest that the incidence of such emergencies is low, the potential for serious events necessitates a degree of familiarity with the nature of emergencies in the air and with the options available to the travelling physician.

Keywords

commercial aviationinflight medical emergenciesmedical kitsautomated external defibrillators

Information

Type
Controversies • Controverses
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , July 2002 , pp. 276 - 280
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2002

References

1.Mills, JF, Harding, MR.Medical emergencies in the air. I: Incidence and legal aspects. Br Med J 1983;286:1131–2.Google Scholar
2.Jagoda, A, Pietrak, M.Medical emergencies in commercial air travel. Emerg Med Clin North Am 1997;15:251–60.Google Scholar
3.Cummins, RO, Schubach, MA.Frequency and types of medical emergencies among commercial air travelers. JAMA 1989;261: 1295–9.Google Scholar
4.Speizer, C, Rennie, CJ, Breton, H.Prevalence of in-flight medical emergencies on commercial airlines. Ann Emerg Med 1989;18:26–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Rodenberg, H.Medical emergencies aboard commercial aircraft. Ann Emerg Med 1987;16:1373–7.Google Scholar
6.Cummins, RO, Chapman, PJ, Chamberlain, DA, Schubach, JA, Litwin, PE.In-flight deaths during commercial air travel: How big is the problem? JAMA 1988;259:1983–8.Google Scholar
7.Page, RL, Joglar, JA, Kowal, RC, Zagrodzky, JD, Nelson, LL.Use of automated external defibrillators by a U.S. airline. N Engl J Med 2000;343:1210–6.Google Scholar
8.Rosenberg, CA, Pak, F.Emergencies in the air: problems, management and prevention. JEM 1997;159–64.Google Scholar
9.DeJohn, CA, Veronneau, SJH, Hordinsky, JR.Inflight medical care: an update. Oklahoma City (OK): Federal Aviation Administration, Civil Aeromedical Institute; 1997. DOT/FAA/AM-97/2.Google Scholar
10.Cottrell, JJ, Callaghan, JT, Kohn, GM, Hensler, EC, Rogers, RM.In-flight medical emergencies: one year of experience with the enhanced medical kit. JAMA 1989;262:1653–6.Google Scholar
11.Health Watch, Commercial Aviation. Stats reveal most common medical in-flight emergencies. March/April 2001 Available: www.medaire.com/MarchApril01Commercial.pdf (accessed 2002 May 10).Google Scholar
12.Emergency medical equipment (final rule). Federal Register. January 6, 1986;51:1218–23.Google Scholar
13.Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998, Publ no 105–170, H.R. 2843, 105th Cong. (1998).Google Scholar
14.Department of Transport, United States of America. Docket Number FAA-2000–7119. Available: http://dms.dot.gov/searchGoogle Scholar
15.Weisfeldt, ML, Kerber, RE, McGoldrick, RP, Moss, AJ, Nichol, G, Ornato, JP, et al. Public access defibrillation. A statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association Task Force on Automated External Defibrillation [practice guideline]. Circulation 1995;92(9):2763.Google Scholar
16.Staff Report, FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine. Final emergency medical equipment rule issued. The Federal Air Surgeon’s Bulletin, Summer 2001. Available: www.cami.jccbi.gov (accessed 2002 May 10).Google Scholar
17.O’Rourke, MF, Donaldson, E, Geddes, JS.An airline cardiac arrest program. Circulation 1997;96:2849–53.Google Scholar
18.Smith, SC Jr, Hamburg, RS.Automated external defibrillators: time for federal and state advocacy and broader utilization. Circulation 1998;97:1321–4.Google Scholar
19.Code of Ethics. Ottawa (ON): Canadian Medical Association. Revised, 1996. Available: www.cma.ca (click on “Inside CMA” and “Where We Stand”).Google Scholar
20.Curtis, LG.Air Canada’s “honorary flight surgeon” [letter]. CMAJ 1984;131:98.Google ScholarPubMed