How airlines handle in-flight medical emergencies​

Other emergencies often occur because the in-flight environment can exacerbate health issues. Planes are pressurized and conditions resemble the effects of being at 5,000 to 8,000 feet in

altitude, which means slightly less oxygen than sea-level dwellers may be accustomed to. This most commonly can cause fainting, gastrointestinal issues and wooziness, but it can also

aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms. “These things happen in regular people’s lives. There’s nothing magical about the airplane, except it just stresses the system a little

bit,” says Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., chair of the department of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark. PREPARED ON BOARD To ensure that members of their in-flight

teams can handle the unexpected, all major carriers teach them basic first aid, which includes administering CPR and supplementary oxygen. “[Our] crew members are also trained to administer

automated external defibrillators,” adds a Singapore Airlines spokesperson. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t require extensive medical kits on board, but it does mandate

certain supplies to help crew members handle health emergencies. The must-haves include assessment tools such as stethoscopes, as well as adhesive tape, analgesics, antihistamines,

bronchodilators, lidocaine, nitroglycerin, saline and tourniquets. It also requires IV lines (used when hypotension sets in from dehydration, hemorrhaging or other causes), but they can only

be administered by qualified medical professionals. Pilots or flight attendants will sometimes make an announcement asking if anyone on board has medical training and is willing to help.

When even more professional assistance is required, cabin crews turn to companies like MedAire, a leading provider of (among other services) medical training and in-flight emergency

assistance to the airlines, for their expertise. “It’s helpful to have live advice from medical personnel who understand the effects of altitude on human physiology, the constraints of the

aircraft environment and the types of training we receive — and who have intimate knowledge of the equipment we have to work with,” Garland says. MedAire even has an app that walks crew

members and volunteers through diagnostic steps and collects key data for its specialists on the ground.