A defibrillator is a small device that provides high energy electric shock through the chest wall to the heart of the person who is in cardiac arrest. The high energy shock is called defibrillation which is needed in saving a life.
Need for defibrillators
The Consumers’ Association of Canada asked the Senate to include essential medical supply when it is decided on the legislation that will result to a new airline passenger bill of rights.
An incident happened aboard a Canadian airline flight from Hawaii to Calgary. There was an elderly man abroad the plane died and was suffering a medical emergency. The airline’s flight attendants can be heard asking passengers if there is a doctor or a nurse on board. A woman volunteered and identified herself as a nurse and helped the victim who appeared to be in the 80’s. She asked help from the crew to move the man to the floor. Then the nurse asked for an AED or automated External Defibrillator. The crew begins searching on overhead bins and it was already about 10 minutes the AED was found. An AED are made to be simple and can be used by a layperson. Due to delays in finding the defibrillator, the man died. Questions are being asked on how prepared the flight crew of the airline in dealing with different medical emergencies after the death of the elderly man. Cardiopulmonary resuscitations were already performed on the victim for more than 30 minutes before the victim was declared dead.
If an automated external defibrillator is delivered in the first few minutes, defibrillation and providing CPR immediately doubles the survival rate of the person with cardiac arrest, but delays in minutes the possibility of survival is reduced to 7 to 10%.
Life-saving device
In an emailed statement of the spokesperson of the airline, stated that the flight crew of the airline used the AED and assisted the nurse on board in providing CPR on the victim. The airline is equipped with an AED, medical emergency kit and a MEDAire satellite phone with direct access to emergency physicians. The spokesperson also stated that both the AED and MEDAire satellite phone are beyond what is required by the regulator.
If airlines provide additional medical equipment such as a defibrillator, there is a need to train airline crew and staff on how to operate the devices. Planes should carry emergency equipments that include the fire extinguishers, a first aid kits, portable oxygen and some flashlights.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a course on first aid and CPR and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/automated-external-defibrillators-aed-treatment
https://www.wikihow.com/Do-Basic-First-Aid
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600