Heroic rescue in the air: 6th year medic receives dean's commendation

The flight attendants used the PA system to find out if there were any doctors or medical staff on board. ‘I did not hesitate, I asked the passenger next to me to lift the patient and take him to the back of the plane. I examined the patient according to the structured ABCDE assessment protocol I had studied at university. He had an airway obstruction, bit his tongue, and his saturation was inadequate. Fortunately, the flight crew provided me with a medical bag, so I had all the equipment I needed for the examination. I asked the patient’s relative about his medical conditions. In the Aviation Medicine course, we used a checklist to assess the severity of the patient's condition. I asked the flight attendants how much oxygen, what drugs and equipment were available. They phoned the pilot, who said we had to decide whether to land or not, because we would be flying over water for two and a half hours and we couldn't turn back,’ András said. He asked for 2-3 minutes to consider the situation and concluded that they should land, because they might not be able to maintain the patient’s condition for the whole trip. They landed at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and he handed the patient over to the ambulance.