Education and debate

Fortnightly Review: Managing in flight emergencies

^a University Department of Orthopaedic and Accident Surgery, University Hospital NHS Trust, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH

Earlier this year the dramatic story of a makeshift operation aboard an aircraft flying from Hong Kong to London hit Britain's newspapers. Here the surgeon who performed the in flight operation gives an account of what happened, and he and the other doctors who treated the patient assess the problems of managing medical emergencies in the air.

A personal account

I was on board a Boeing 747 bound from Hong Kong to London and was seating myself before departure when a call was made by the stewardess: "If there is a doctor on board would they please make themselves known to the cabin staff." I offered assistance. A 39 year old woman in the back row of economy class had become concerned about the swelling developing in her forearm which another doctor, Dr Tom Wong, was examining as I joined him. She told us that she had . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Cabin fever

Alison Tonks
BMJ 2008 336: 584-586. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Managing in flight emergencies

Carl L Gwinnutt and Peter A Driscoll
BMJ 1995 311: 1507. [Extract] [Full Text]

Glove and cannula approach is easier

C C Crawshaw
BMJ 1995 311: 1507. [Extract] [Full Text]

Plane should not have left the ground

Paul D Buisseret
BMJ 1995 311: 1507-1508. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Tonks, A. (2008). Cabin fever. BMJ 336: 584-586 [Full text]  
• Shepherd, B, Macpherson, D, Edwards, C M B (2006). In-flight emergencies: playing The Good Samaritan. JRSM 99: 628-631 [Full text]  
• Parslow, P., Sandell, J. (2005). Paediatric chest drains: past, present and percutaneous. Trauma 7: 163-170 [Abstract]  
• Gendreau, M. A., DeJohn, C. (2002). Responding to Medical Events during Commercial Airline Flights. NEJM 346: 1067-1073 [Full text]  
• Peek, G. J, Morcos, S., Cooper, G. (2000). Regular review: The pleural cavity. BMJ 320: 1318-1321 [Full text]  
• Gwinnutt, C. L, Driscoll, P. A (1995). Managing in flight emergencies. BMJ 311: 1507b-1507 [Full text]  
• Crawshaw, C C (1995). Glove and cannula approach is easier. BMJ 311: 1507c-1507 [Full text]  
• Buisseret, P. D (1995). Plane should not have left the ground. BMJ 311: 1507d-1508 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Airplane descent was not contraindicated

John P Simanonok
bmj.com, 23 Apr 2008 [Full text]