Narrative:

This man boarded and his wife informed #1 flight attendant that her husband might need oxygen. During boarding, I noticed his shortness of breath. I notified the #1 flight attendant to contact the agent to see if he was medically ok -- word was that he was ok to be flying. I let the cockpit know this individual was showing signs of trouble breathing. After takeoff, we were bringing the beverage cart up to the front of the main cabin. As I was nearing his row, the #1 flight attendant came around the curtain and I realized there was a problem. Upon reaching his row, his wife said he was not breathing. I shook the man, no response. With the assistance of another passenger, we got him on the floor. We immediately checked his pulse and breathing -- there was neither. We hooked up the automatic external defibrillator -- the result was no shock advised, monitor patient. We checked breathing and pulse again -- none. We began cpr and continued until captain said 'prepare for landing.' (we were turning around going back to dfw.) we moved the man to the bulkhead and another airline's flight attendant that was deadheading and our airline's non revenue took over cpr, while we took our jump seats. Paramedics met the flight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that the paramedics took the man to a hospital, but that he died shortly afterwards. He was boarded in a wheelchair, and the wife said that he had cancer and she wanted oxygen for him. The reporter replied that if he needed oxygen for takeoff, then he needed a doctor's note for boarding a therapeutic oxygen tank. The wife then said that it was ok and that he probably would need oxygen later, he just wasn't feeling well, and they were on their way home to chicago. The reporter had the purser go immediately out to the gate agent to see if he had the clearance to fly. The reporter was disappointed when the captain and purser decided to let the man fly with them. The reporter said that the automatic external defibrillator displayed on its little screen that there was no irregular heartbeat and not to use the automatic external defibrillator. The automatic external defibrillator is not to be used for people who do not have a heart beat or who aren't breathing. The automatic external defibrillator is part of the flight attendant's preflight checklist to see if the light is flashing for the battery.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, MD80, DFW-ORD, SERIOUSLY ILL MAN BOARDED DESPITE CABIN ATTENDANT'S MISGIVINGS, QUIT BREATHING, RETURN TO DFW. PARAMEDICS TOOK MAN TO HOSPITAL. DIED LATER.

Narrative: THIS MAN BOARDED AND HIS WIFE INFORMED #1 FLT ATTENDANT THAT HER HUSBAND MIGHT NEED OXYGEN. DURING BOARDING, I NOTICED HIS SHORTNESS OF BREATH. I NOTIFIED THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO CONTACT THE AGENT TO SEE IF HE WAS MEDICALLY OK -- WORD WAS THAT HE WAS OK TO BE FLYING. I LET THE COCKPIT KNOW THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS SHOWING SIGNS OF TROUBLE BREATHING. AFTER TKOF, WE WERE BRINGING THE BEVERAGE CART UP TO THE FRONT OF THE MAIN CABIN. AS I WAS NEARING HIS ROW, THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CAME AROUND THE CURTAIN AND I REALIZED THERE WAS A PROB. UPON REACHING HIS ROW, HIS WIFE SAID HE WAS NOT BREATHING. I SHOOK THE MAN, NO RESPONSE. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ANOTHER PAX, WE GOT HIM ON THE FLOOR. WE IMMEDIATELY CHKED HIS PULSE AND BREATHING -- THERE WAS NEITHER. WE HOOKED UP THE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR -- THE RESULT WAS NO SHOCK ADVISED, MONITOR PATIENT. WE CHKED BREATHING AND PULSE AGAIN -- NONE. WE BEGAN CPR AND CONTINUED UNTIL CAPT SAID 'PREPARE FOR LNDG.' (WE WERE TURNING AROUND GOING BACK TO DFW.) WE MOVED THE MAN TO THE BULKHEAD AND ANOTHER AIRLINE'S FLT ATTENDANT THAT WAS DEADHEADING AND OUR AIRLINE'S NON REVENUE TOOK OVER CPR, WHILE WE TOOK OUR JUMP SEATS. PARAMEDICS MET THE FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT THE PARAMEDICS TOOK THE MAN TO A HOSPITAL, BUT THAT HE DIED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. HE WAS BOARDED IN A WHEELCHAIR, AND THE WIFE SAID THAT HE HAD CANCER AND SHE WANTED OXYGEN FOR HIM. THE RPTR REPLIED THAT IF HE NEEDED OXYGEN FOR TKOF, THEN HE NEEDED A DOCTOR'S NOTE FOR BOARDING A THERAPEUTIC OXYGEN TANK. THE WIFE THEN SAID THAT IT WAS OK AND THAT HE PROBABLY WOULD NEED OXYGEN LATER, HE JUST WASN'T FEELING WELL, AND THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY HOME TO CHICAGO. THE RPTR HAD THE PURSER GO IMMEDIATELY OUT TO THE GATE AGENT TO SEE IF HE HAD THE CLRNC TO FLY. THE RPTR WAS DISAPPOINTED WHEN THE CAPT AND PURSER DECIDED TO LET THE MAN FLY WITH THEM. THE RPTR SAID THAT THE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR DISPLAYED ON ITS LITTLE SCREEN THAT THERE WAS NO IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT AND NOT TO USE THE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR. THE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR IS NOT TO BE USED FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE A HEART BEAT OR WHO AREN'T BREATHING. THE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR IS PART OF THE FLT ATTENDANT'S PREFLT CHKLIST TO SEE IF THE LIGHT IS FLASHING FOR THE BATTERY.

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.