Fortnightly Review: Managing in flight emergencies

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 fallen off a motorcycle on the way to the airport. She had been shaken by the accident and had missed her original flight before catching this one. The problem appeared to be bruising and a probable minimally displaced fracture of the right forearm. She did not complain of any other injuries, and though I had attended an advanced trauma and life support course in 1990, I did not carry out a full primary survey—there seemed to be no need, and it might have been …