Another in flight emergency...

[Zaphod]

My crystal ball seems to be leaning to a spike in inflight requests for physician assistance inflight. A lot of pent up demand for air travel. Enjoy your travel plans!

Another inflight emergency. I would appreciate an explanation how one gives birth without knowing she is pregnant.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnn...rnd/index.html

This is nuts, like winning the lottery every year crazy. Preterm delivery with 3, 3! NICU nurses on board. Lucky family.

[Shant]

Jesus at 29 weeks, incredibly lucky.

[tex]

I have selection bias, but it actuallyseems relatively common to not know you're pregnant late second/early third tri. Fetal movement starts mid second, and spotting / irregular periods are very common... also obesity... also health literacy...

Lots of questions about that baby though... pictures I could find seemed to show only unblended blow-by O2 and no sign of IV fluids ... the video of them leaving the plane did have him with a nice lusty cry, so I'm thinking blood sugar wasn't zero...


"At one point, they had to use an Apple Watch to monitor the baby's heart rate because they did not have normal tools available, the news release said."
...stethoscope?

Also read that it was a med assist and not diversion, which was surprising.

[VentAlarm]

Glad it was you and not me. Also sounds like another reason not to fly with infants across the ocean. One wonders what the outcome would have been if you had not stepped up. Seems like these airlines face a difficult cost/benefit analysis when these emergencies come up vis-a-vis whether or not they should land the plane. I'd be pretty uncomfortable telling them to do anything other than make an emergency landing and get the patient to a hospital. Expensive, wreaks havoc for the airlines, and may anger a lot of passengers, but it's better than being sued.

Has anyone heard of a medical emergency being called for all the ESA's? "Excuse me, is there a veterinarian on board?" Seems inevitable.... Eventually either Fluffy dies and someone sues, or a plane lands and it makes more headlines.

There’s a doc on the ground who makes the call about stop vs continue. They may take your recommendations into consideration, but they have someone explicitly for this reason: take the liability. If it costs $5M to divert a plan but expect pay out on a claim to be $1M, expect a smooth flight.

[CordMcNally]

Another inflight emergency. I would appreciate an explanation how one gives birth without knowing she is pregnant.

You would be surprised. I saw a lady several years ago that was 38 weeks, so full term, and had no idea. She was not a big girl, either. She was into equestrian and had been doing an equestrian event when she started getting severe cramping that wouldn't go away.

Think how crazy that would be for her friends and family that didn't know. No baby one day and then all of a sudden a child the next. The significant other was freaking out because obviously they had zero baby stuff but was somewhat relieved that he still had a few days until the baby would be discharged.

[Lithium]

You would be surprised. I saw a lady several years ago that was 38 weeks, so full term, and had no idea. She was not a big girl, either. She was into equestrian and had been doing an equestrian event when she started getting severe cramping that wouldn't go away.

Think how crazy that would be for her friends and family that didn't know. No baby one day and then all of a sudden a child the next. The significant other was freaking out because obviously they had zero baby stuff but was somewhat relieved that he still had a few days until the baby would be discharged.

“But we haven’t had sex in over a year?!”

[ENT Doc]

“But we haven’t had sex in over a year?!”

One of my favs from Loaded Weapon 1:

“My wife and I haven't had sex in over two years. I have a six month old daughter.”

”Irv, Irv, Irv. You’re gettin’ too suspicious.”

[Shant]

Are there diversion options after you're halfway to Hawaii?

[jfoxcpacfp]

There’s a doc on the ground who makes the call about stop vs continue. They may take your recommendations into consideration, but they have someone explicitly for this reason: take the liability. If it costs $5M to divert a plan but expect pay out on a claim to be $1M, expect a smooth flight.

Hit “like” just for the edit.

[GastroMastro]

I just always keep my ID in my bag and I take my bag with me when I travel.

There is really no possible downside to being able to identify yourself as a physician and some small but real chance of upside.

I mean let's say your on vacation and there is some kind of mass casualty event. Is it bad to be able to help?

No downside? I’m all for helping. But haven’t there been cases where in flight physician was sued or at least claimed or wrong doing? Why else would the anesthesiologist sit put? I I ever don’t respond to an in flight call, it will be due to fear of liability and or having to make a decision for which I’m not qualified (ie, febrile infant)

[Nysoz]

No downside? I’m all for helping. But haven’t there been cases where in flight physician was sued or at least claimed or wrong doing? Why else would the anesthesiologist sit put? I I ever don’t respond to an in flight call, it will be due to fear of liability and or having to make a decision for which I’m not qualified (ie, febrile infant)

Physicians reluctant to respond to a medical crisis may worry about their liability. But under the Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998, doctors who treat a sick patient in good faith are protected from lawsuits that might arise from the care they delivered on a plane. “It’s analogous to the Good Samaritan laws that apply on the ground,” says Eastwood. The law applies in North America and on U.S. carriers, wherever they fly.

The decision to divert a plane is never made by the doctor who volunteered to help. Only the pilot can make that determination, typically in consultation with the medical professionals on the ground.

Physicians may be asked for their credentials during medical emergencies, although by law they are not required to produce them. “I encourage physicians to fly with at least a Xeroxed copy of the badge that they wear to the hospital every day — something that shows your face and that you’re a doctor,” Zang says.

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(b) Liability of Individuals.--An individual shall not be liable for damages in any action brought in a Federal or State court arising out of the acts or omissions of the individual in providing or attempting to provide assistance in the case of an in-flight medical emergency unless the individual, while rendering such assistance, is guilty of gross negligence or willful misconduct.

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https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/t...training-board

[MaxPower]

Are there diversion options after you're halfway to Hawaii?

Don’t know. We were a couple of hours into a flight back from Hawaii this March when they called overhead for a physician. Fortunately I had heard a guy talking behind me who told the other people in his row that he was an anesthesiologist (after quite a bit of small talk, he didn’t just come out and say it). I figured there was a whole lot more good he was going to do than me, since I hadn’t seen anyone fall down and break something.