Narrative:

A passenger and his wife were last to board, having rushed from a connecting gate. They got in their seats. Right away, another passenger ran up front and told me to come immediately. I ran back and saw a passenger convulsing and gasping for air. Another flight attendant and I ran back up front for emergency equipment. I grabbed the automated external defibrillator and she grabbed the oxygen. Cockpit door was still open, so I yelled for them to call the medics. I later learned that they did not hear me. In the moments it took us to return, passenger had passed out, urinated, and had no pulse and no breathing. Flight attendant #2 had another passenger get him on the floor. She undid his shirt, while I got the automated external defibrillator ready. Meanwhile, flight attendant #4 had called cockpit and told them to call medics, and also paged for a physician. None on board. A nurse's aide responded, and the captain came back, as well. I applied automated external defibrillator pads and a shock was advised. We administered 1 shock. We could not tell if he had a pulse, because we were shaking so hard. Flight attendant #2 assembled pocket mask and prepared to do cpr. Just then, the passenger sucked in a huge breath and continued to breathe on his own, although it was very irregular, and his stomach and chest distended greatly with each breath. Flight attendant #2 put oxygen on him and I tried to comfort his wife. The paramedics showed up (15 mins after being called) and took over. I advised them what we had done. They worked on him a little longer on board, then took him onto the jetbridge and worked on him some more. They used amber bags a few times. He vomited on jetbridge, some blood mixed in, continued to breathe, but did not regain consciousness. Big kudos to the automated external defibrillator. It's a great machine -- I even kissed it when it was all over. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the nurses aid knew less than the flight attendants about how to handle the man. Her airline's management told her that the man had been clinically dead before the flight attendants used the defibrillator, and that ordinary cpr wouldn't have worked. Paramedics used the 'ambu' which is a balloon type of cpr. She went to see the man in the hospital the next day, and he was still unconscious, but still breathing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, S80, DFW-MEM. ON BOARDING, PAX HAD HEART ATTACK, USED AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR. PARAMEDIC MOVED HIM TO HOSPITAL.

Narrative: A PAX AND HIS WIFE WERE LAST TO BOARD, HAVING RUSHED FROM A CONNECTING GATE. THEY GOT IN THEIR SEATS. RIGHT AWAY, ANOTHER PAX RAN UP FRONT AND TOLD ME TO COME IMMEDIATELY. I RAN BACK AND SAW A PAX CONVULSING AND GASPING FOR AIR. ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT AND I RAN BACK UP FRONT FOR EMER EQUIP. I GRABBED THE AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR AND SHE GRABBED THE OXYGEN. COCKPIT DOOR WAS STILL OPEN, SO I YELLED FOR THEM TO CALL THE MEDICS. I LATER LEARNED THAT THEY DID NOT HEAR ME. IN THE MOMENTS IT TOOK US TO RETURN, PAX HAD PASSED OUT, URINATED, AND HAD NO PULSE AND NO BREATHING. FLT ATTENDANT #2 HAD ANOTHER PAX GET HIM ON THE FLOOR. SHE UNDID HIS SHIRT, WHILE I GOT THE AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR READY. MEANWHILE, FLT ATTENDANT #4 HAD CALLED COCKPIT AND TOLD THEM TO CALL MEDICS, AND ALSO PAGED FOR A PHYSICIAN. NONE ON BOARD. A NURSE'S AIDE RESPONDED, AND THE CAPT CAME BACK, AS WELL. I APPLIED AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR PADS AND A SHOCK WAS ADVISED. WE ADMINISTERED 1 SHOCK. WE COULD NOT TELL IF HE HAD A PULSE, BECAUSE WE WERE SHAKING SO HARD. FLT ATTENDANT #2 ASSEMBLED POCKET MASK AND PREPARED TO DO CPR. JUST THEN, THE PAX SUCKED IN A HUGE BREATH AND CONTINUED TO BREATHE ON HIS OWN, ALTHOUGH IT WAS VERY IRREGULAR, AND HIS STOMACH AND CHEST DISTENDED GREATLY WITH EACH BREATH. FLT ATTENDANT #2 PUT OXYGEN ON HIM AND I TRIED TO COMFORT HIS WIFE. THE PARAMEDICS SHOWED UP (15 MINS AFTER BEING CALLED) AND TOOK OVER. I ADVISED THEM WHAT WE HAD DONE. THEY WORKED ON HIM A LITTLE LONGER ON BOARD, THEN TOOK HIM ONTO THE JETBRIDGE AND WORKED ON HIM SOME MORE. THEY USED AMBER BAGS A FEW TIMES. HE VOMITED ON JETBRIDGE, SOME BLOOD MIXED IN, CONTINUED TO BREATHE, BUT DID NOT REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS. BIG KUDOS TO THE AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR. IT'S A GREAT MACHINE -- I EVEN KISSED IT WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE NURSES AID KNEW LESS THAN THE FLT ATTENDANTS ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE THE MAN. HER AIRLINE'S MGMNT TOLD HER THAT THE MAN HAD BEEN CLINICALLY DEAD BEFORE THE FLT ATTENDANTS USED THE DEFIBRILLATOR, AND THAT ORDINARY CPR WOULDN'T HAVE WORKED. PARAMEDICS USED THE 'AMBU' WHICH IS A BALLOON TYPE OF CPR. SHE WENT TO SEE THE MAN IN THE HOSPITAL THE NEXT DAY, AND HE WAS STILL UNCONSCIOUS, BUT STILL BREATHING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.