So, what happens when there is an in-flight medical emergency on an airline flight?
It’s an interesting question that many of us have probably not thought much about before. But it happens, probably more frequently than we realize.
What if There’s a Medical Emergency on an Airline Flight?
We take a look at risk mitigation from the pilot’s perspective.
Key Takeaways:
- Airlines equip flights with medical kits (including advanced medications and AEDs) and often rely on volunteer medical professionals among passengers for more complex in-flight medical emergencies.
- The decision to divert a flight is not made by the flight crew alone but is typically determined by ground-based airline operations centers and flight surgeons based on relayed patient information, with certain critical conditions triggering an automatic diversion.
- Flight crews are trained in risk management during medical emergencies, splitting duties to manage the aircraft and coordinate with ground services, aiming to stabilize the passenger for transfer to emergency medical services upon landing.
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