Skip to main content

Setting the Scene

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
In-Flight Medical Emergencies

Abstract

Medical professionals who travel are not uncommonly called upon to use their skills in the nonclinical environment. Flying in an aircraft, however, may present unique challenges. As one is flying in a cramped metal tube at an altitude of 35,000 ft, medical care is truly a form of austere medicine. This book will familiarize the reader with the role of the volunteering healthcare provider, the available resources about commercial aircraft, liability issues surrounding responding, and an introduction to the types of medical events that may occur.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Latson J. Hired for their looks, promoted for their heroism: the first flight attendants. In: Time magazine. 2015. http://time.com/3847732/first-stewardess-ellen-church/. Accessed 14 Nov 2016.

  2. A 3-month airline experiment turns 50 years old: 13 stops in 20-hour flight. The New York Times; 1980 May 30: B16.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gazdik M. Vault guide to flight attendant careers. New York: Vault; 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Lockridge P. The transatlantic girls. The Washington Post; 1943 July 25: S10.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ford E. Flying girls a vital part of air epic: airline stewardesses on D.C. runs are all former nurses. Duties on board plane are exciting and varied. The Washington Post; 1937 July 4: B4.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Stricken in plane, woman of 70 dies. The New York Times; 1945 Sept 14: 17.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Another baby born in plane over atlantic. The Washington Post; 1949 Nov 23: B10.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Tim K. The Flight Attendant Career Guide. River Forest, IL: Planning/Communications Publishing; 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Yenckel JT. Is there a doctor in the plane? The Washington Post; 1995 July 9: E1.

    Google Scholar 

  10. American Medical Association Commission on Emergency Medical Services. Medical aspects of transportation aboard commercial aircraft. AMA commission on emergency medical services. JAMA. 1982;247(7):1007–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Department of transportation, federal aviation administration: emergency medical equipment requirement. Fed Regist. 1986;51:1218–1223.

    Google Scholar 

  12. McLellan D. Airlines gear up for medical emergencies. In: Los Angeles Times. 1986. http://articles.latimes.com/1986-06-05/news/vw-9535_1_medical-emergencies/3. Accessed 16 Nov 2016.

  13. Nichol G, Hallstrom AP, Kerber R, et al. American Heart Association report on the second public access defibrillation conference, April 17-19, 1997. Circulation. 1998;97(13):1309–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998, Pub L. No. 105–170. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  15. United States Federal Aviation Administration. Emergency medical equipment. Final rule. Fed Regist. 2001;66:19028–46.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Goodwin T. In-flight medical emergencies: an overview. BMJ. 2000;321:1338–41.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Aerospace Medical Association. Medical emergencies: managing in-flight medical events. 2016. https://www.asma.org/publications/medical-publications-for-airline-travel/managing-in-flight-medical-events. Accessed 1 Dec 2016.

  18. Peterson DC, Martin-Gill C, Guyette FX, et al. Outcomes of medical emergencies on commercial airline flights. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:2075–83.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Thibeault C, Evans AD. Medical guidelines for air travel: reported in-flight medical events and death. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015;86(6):571.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Delaune EF, Lucas RH, Illig P. In-fl ight medical events and aircraft diversions: one airline’s experience. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2003;74(1):62–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Matsumoto K, Goebert D. In-flight psychiatric emergencies. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2001;72:919–23.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Moore BR, Ping JM, Claypool DW. Pediatric emergencies on a US-based commercial airline. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2005;21:725–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Airline access to emergency epinephrine act of 2015, S. 1972, 114th Cong. 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Gendreau MA, DeJohn C. Responding to medical events during commercial airline flights. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:1067–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Rayman RB, Zanick D, Korsgard T. Resources for inflight medical care. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2004;75(3):278–80.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. DeHart RL. Health issues of air travel. Annu Rev Public Health. 2003;24:133–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. DeCelles KA, Norton MI. Physical and situational inequality on airplanes predicts air rage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016;113(20):5588–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Wallace TW, Wong T, O'Bichere A, Ellis BW. Managing in flight emergencies. BMJ. 1995;311(7001):374–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Kuczkowski KM. “Code blue” in the air: implications of rendering care during in-flight medical emergencies. Can J Anaesth. 2007;54(5):401–2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. United States Federal Aviation Administration. Advisory circular: emergency medical equipment. AC No. 121-33B; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  31. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke rt-PA Stroke Study Group. Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med. 1995;333(24):1581–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Levine GN, Bates ER, Blankenship JC, et al. 2015 ACC/AHA/SCAI focused update on primary percutaneous coronary intervention for patients with ST-Elevation myocardial infarction: an update of the 2011 ACCF/AHA/SCAI guideline for percutaneous coronary intervention and the 2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of ST-Elevation myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67(10):1235–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Bukowski JH, Richards JR. Commercial airline in-flight emergency: medical student response and review of medicolegal issues. J Emerg Med. 2016;50(1):74–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Hung KK, Cocks RA, Poon WK, et al. Medical volunteers in commercial flight medical diversions. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2013;84(5):491–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jose V. Nable M.D., M.S., NRP .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Nable, J.V., Brady, W. (2018). Setting the Scene. In: Nable, J., Brady, W. (eds) In-Flight Medical Emergencies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74234-2_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74234-2_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74233-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74234-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics