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Illness, heart attack... What happens in the event of a serious health problem on the plane?

2022-08-12T10:15:02.825Z


The death of a British mother, in full flight, on August 5 has created a stir beyond English borders. Although such an event is extremely rare, the personnel on board an aircraft are trained to react to all in-flight contingencies.


It is a situation feared by some phobics of the plane and which can sometimes take a dramatic turn, as for this British mother, who died Friday August 5, in full flight, in front of her husband and her children.

If the fact that a passenger dies in flight remains, very fortunately, an extremely rare event, what if, in the middle of a flight over the Atlantic, I suddenly feel unwell?

Like any event in air transport, this eventuality is well anticipated by the companies and is the subject of numerous procedures.

If, for example, a person is the victim of respiratory arrest, the staff on board begin by laying them down in one of the galleys, these spaces reserved for stewards and hostesses closed by curtains, and give them first aid.

Each flight crew member receives practical and theoretical first aid training every year, with role-playing

,” explains

Le Figaro

Dr. Vincent Feuillie, passenger medicine manager at Air France.

They repeat the gestures used to determine if a person is conscious, cardiac massage or the use of equipment.

»

This is, as required by the rules, composed of three different kits.

The first aid kit, first, which contains paracetamol, medication against vomiting, diarrhea or allergies, bandages and disinfectant.

The emergency medical kit, then, which is located in the cockpit and locked with a key in the possession of the captain.

It is composed, among other things, of antibiotics and an infusion set, and its use must be prescribed by a doctor on the ground.

Finally, there is the resuscitation bag, which contains a defibrillator, a stethoscope, a thermometer, an oximeter, a mask and an oxygen cylinder.

Read alsoAir travel: when on-board service was top notch

Divert the plane

If the patient's condition does not improve, the captain can decide to contact the Samu de Paris, which each aircraft in the company can reach by satellite link.

The Samu assesses the situation described by the captain and prescribes the use of the elements of the emergency medical kit accordingly.

"

A doctor on board can also, after checking his professional card, prescribe and use the contents of the medical kit

", specifies Dr. Feuillie.

In some cases, the Samu may decide to deviate the aircraft from its initial route to land as quickly as possible.

"

It's a benefit/risk calculation

," he explains.

There is no point in diverting to an airport that is not near a suitable medical centre.

There are areas where rerouting is rarely relevant: in the middle of the Atlantic, in Russia, or in parts of Africa

.”

In fact, route diversions to allow the patient to be hospitalized urgently are only necessary in 7% of cases of illness according to a study published in 2013 in the 

New England Journal of Medicine

.

When approaching the airport, the captain can request landing priority from air traffic control.

The patient is then transferred as quickly as possible to the nearest hospital.

If the procedure is well established, serious health problems are rare on the plane.

According to the study published in the

New England Journal of Medicine

, as a passenger, you have a 1 in 604 risk of experiencing discomfort during a flight.

A doctor is present in 48% of cases, and a nurse in 20%.

The most frequent pathologies are fainting (37% of medical emergencies), difficulty breathing (12%), nausea (9.5%) and heart problems (8%).

Pregnancy-related accidents are even rarer, as are cardiac arrests, which represent only 0.3% of cases.

Dr. Feuillie wants to be reassuring.

“If you have

a heart attack, you are statistically more likely to survive on an airplane compared to, for example, if you are alone at home, because you are surrounded by 300 witnesses and staff trained and equipped for you. help

,” he says.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-08-12

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