Practical points

I write with reference to Tonks’s article.¹ On three occasions I have been asked to attend another passenger or a crew member on a longhaul flight.

An elderly man collapsed. He spoke no English. I did not realise how anaemic he was until we came in to land; curtains were drawn and it was dark outside. Once he was in daylight the diagnosis was obvious. The cabin staff had been reluctant to draw the curtains as it was still early morning. I suggest that where possible the curtains are drawn when you are making an assessment. The cabin staff wanted this passenger strapped upright in his seat for landing but I managed to persuade them to lie him on floor against a bulkhead. Even sitting him upright in his seat had caused him to faint.

On two of the occasions when I saw a passenger, the captain of the aircraft discussed the option of diverting the flight, but I did not think it would help. I have always found the cabin staff well trained and helpful. One purser told me that on average, staff dealt with at least one medical problem in every 10 flights.

By the way, the stethoscope in the kit is useless because the background noise from the aircraft’s engines drowns out any other sound.