The first action that needs to happen is for the person to be identified by the cabin crew as being in medical distress. This can sometimes be something the cabin crew do themselves, but more frequently the passenger themselves, a traveling companion, or a nearby passenger will raise the alert.
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What to do
Advise them to lie down.
If possible, elevate their legs slightly using a stool, cushions or pillows. ...
Reassure them and help them to sit up slowly over a few minutes, when they feel better.
If they stay unresponsive, open their airway, check their breathing and prepare to treat someone who is unresponsive.
During in-flight cardiac arrest, the flight attendants are mainly responsible to immediately contact the ground staff and voluntary medical professionals on board; besides, they also have a right to perform CPR (4).
Q: What medical equipment do airlines carry for emergencies? -- Kevin H., Tracy, Minn. A: There is a basic first-aid kit, an enhanced first-aid kit and an automatic defibrillator on board most airline flights. Supplemental oxygen is also available.
While it can transpire, it's unlikely there will be a qualified medical professional in the cabin. As a result, flight attendants are responsible for caring for sick or hurt passengers. Cabin crew are trained to administer first aid and have some basic resources onboard, such as bandages and cold packs.
The only oxygen equipment allowed on an airplane is the portable oxygen concentrator (POC). If you need oxygen in flight, you must take a portable oxygen concentrator with you, and , you must let your airline know ahead of time. They may require a doctor's letter to verify the need for the POC on the plane.
The airline may charge you for any oxygen it supplies during the flight. You will likely have to pay for oxygen for each leg of a trip. And airlines usually do not supply oxygen during layovers, so try to book a direct flight. At least two weeks before your flight, notify the airline that you will need oxygen.
A normal approach and landing are not something as severe to put someone performing CPR at imminent risk of their own safety, so you keep going. Simply put, if you stop CPR the patient is going to die.
One flight attendant, an RN, confirmed that fainting is very common. “It occurs when you have been sitting for a long period, and your blood concentrates in the lower extremities,” she wrote. “You start to feel dizzy and nauseous, so you try to head for the lav.
Without oxygen, you will quickly feel drowsy and even euphoric, a phenomenon known as hypoxia, but as time passes, continued lack of oxygen to the brain will lead to blackouts, passing out, and possibly even death.
A simple pulse oximeter reading while you are at high altitude, at rest and during activity, can determine if oxygen is needed at altitude. Alternatively, some pulmonary function labs can perform an altitude simulation test to determine your oxygen saturation at altitude.
The dimming of cabin lights only happens when it is dusk, dawn or dark outside the aircraft. This is a safety measure, and is to ensure your eyes are adjusted to the gloom enough to see the floor lights leading you to safety along the aisle in the event of a crash or emergency evacuation.