February 26, 2008
American disputes claim that dying passenger didn’t get oxygen!
I normally wouldn’t post an airline story; however, this story SHOCKED me and I strongly feel it is necessary for everyone to read this article. I couldn’t believe what the airline flight attendant said to the passenger when they asked for oxygen and you won’t believe it either. I cover passengers who need oxygen during a flight in my book. You can also download over 119 tips for passengers with medical conditions or special needs at: http://www.airportbook.com/bookstore.htm.
American Airlines, after some internal investigation, offered its account of what happened on the Feb. 22 flight from Haiti to New York, on which a passenger died.
The account countered claims by the woman’s relative and traveling companion, as reported by the Associated Press on Feb. 25, that a flight attendant initially dismissed her requests for assistance, that the airline-supplied portable oxygen tanks used to try to treat her were empty and that the airline’s automated external defibrillator did not function properly.
American spokesman Tim Wagner said about an hour after takeoff from Port-au-Prince, the passenger started complaining of feeling ill and a flight attendant was summoned. Wagner said his understanding is that the woman’s traveling companion said she had diabetes issues and asked for oxygen. The attendant told the traveler the airline does not usually issue oxygen for diabetes, but went to get a second flight attendant.
The second flight attendant came back and decided oxygen might help, Wagner said. He said the oxygen tank was functional and full and was administered about two to three minutes from the initial request.
Wagner said he also believed, but could not definitively state, that a second oxygen tank also was administered. He cautioned that it was possible the passenger’s physical condition at that point made the administration of the oxygen ineffective, even though it functioned properly.
Wagner said all oxygen cylinders have gauges that read green when the cylinders are functional, and that flight attendants check all of them before each flight. Federal regulations require airlines to carry at least two on each flight, and enough to provide oxygen to 2% of its passengers, and American said there were 12 of them on the flight in question.
Wagner said an Ambu bag, part of the airline’s onboard medical kit, also was used. The Ambu bag is a manual resuscitator with a mask that fits over the patient’s face. It has a balloon-like apparatus that is squeezed to force air into a patient’s lungs.
The airline’s automated external defibrillator (AED) also was used and appeared functional, but did not provide the audio signal that indicates that a shock should be administered, Wagner said. The AED automatically analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm and advises the rescuer whether or not a shock is needed to restore a normal heart beat.
Wagner said the airline will have the AED examined to determine whether its assessment was correct, but that “all indications are that it was working properly.”
Wagner said American has carried AEDs on all of its aircraft for about 10 years, well before the federal mandate for all commercial flights to carry at least one, and has used them to save 80 lives. Wagner also noted that as the incident unfolded on Feb. 22, American made an appeal on its intercom for medical help, and seven passengers responded, including three doctors and a nurse. The doctors and nurse worked on her for about 45 minutes and attempted CPR, Wagner said.
Also, during the course of the incident the pilot decided to divert the flight to Miami, but the passenger died about 20 minutes before the plane would have landed — about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the flight, Wagner said.
The airline decided to continue the flight to its original destination. The deceased passenger was moved to a first-class seat, away from other passengers as much as possible, and wrapped in a blanket to cover her up, Wagner said. He said that this complied with standard airline procedure, which is to move the deceased somewhere where he or she is not beside another passenger, if possible, and to cover the deceased.
American’s account disputes the account provided by Antonio Oliver, a cousin who was traveling with the deceased, Carine Desir, 44, of Brooklyn, N.Y, and her brother, Joel Desir, as reported by AP. According to the AP report about Oliver’s account, he said a flight attendant initially told Desir that he could not give her any oxygen, and then brought her an oxygen tank that was empty. The AP story said Desir also said the AED did not function effectively.
Desir, who had heart disease according to the report, complained of illness and thirst on the flight after she had eaten a meal. A flight attendant gave her water, Oliver said. A few minutes later, Desir said she was having trouble breathing and asked for oxygen, but a flight attendant twice refused her request, Oliver said in a telephone interview, according to the AP report.
Oliver reportedly said the flight attendant eventually tried to administer oxygen from a portable tank and mask after other passengers became agitated, but the tank was empty. He also said two doctors and two nurses who were aboard tried to administer oxygen from a second tank, which was also empty.
By Andrew Compart: http://www.travelweekly.com/Article.aspx?id=169456
Filed under Passenger Awareness by Natalia Ippolito
