Narrative:

Just past cohill on NCA11, 'a' flight attendant called and advised that a passenger was 'unresponsive and not breathing.' medlink communications were established, but only with flight attendant #2 relaying for us. I asked the flight attendants to confirm that they were using therapeutic oxygen, as it was discussed in my recurrent training that proper oxygen use had been a problem. Each time that this came up in our conversation, I asked for verification, as I became uneasy about which bottle they were in fact using, based upon some of the verbiage that they used. 2 nurses were on board and they assisted the flight attendants in stabilizing the passenger, whose condition rapidly improved. Flight attendant #2 relayed to us that, based upon the information that we provided about the passenger's condition, the medlink doctor advised continuing to ord, keeping the passenger on oxygen. The 'a' flight attendant called and asked to be let into the flight deck. He came in holding an almost depleted decompression/first aid bottle and advised us that they had used the wrong bottle. We requested and descended to FL250. The therapeutic bottle was in use with the passenger, so that could not be substituted for the decompression/first aid bottle. The time that we were above FL250 without the required bottle was kept to a minimum, because we descended promptly. There seems to be a lot of confusion with the flight attendants about the proper bottle to use.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-700 CAPT, DURING A MEDICAL EMER DURING A FLT FROM ANC TO ORD, SUSPECTED THAT THE CABIN CREW WERE UTILIZING THE WRONG OXYGEN BOTTLE AND HIS BEST ATTEMPTS AT MAKING SURE THE FLT ATTENDANTS COMPLIED WENT UNHEEDED.

Narrative: JUST PAST COHILL ON NCA11, 'A' FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND ADVISED THAT A PAX WAS 'UNRESPONSIVE AND NOT BREATHING.' MEDLINK COMS WERE ESTABLISHED, BUT ONLY WITH FLT ATTENDANT #2 RELAYING FOR US. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO CONFIRM THAT THEY WERE USING THERAPEUTIC OXYGEN, AS IT WAS DISCUSSED IN MY RECURRENT TRAINING THAT PROPER OXYGEN USE HAD BEEN A PROB. EACH TIME THAT THIS CAME UP IN OUR CONVERSATION, I ASKED FOR VERIFICATION, AS I BECAME UNEASY ABOUT WHICH BOTTLE THEY WERE IN FACT USING, BASED UPON SOME OF THE VERBIAGE THAT THEY USED. 2 NURSES WERE ON BOARD AND THEY ASSISTED THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN STABILIZING THE PAX, WHOSE CONDITION RAPIDLY IMPROVED. FLT ATTENDANT #2 RELAYED TO US THAT, BASED UPON THE INFO THAT WE PROVIDED ABOUT THE PAX'S CONDITION, THE MEDLINK DOCTOR ADVISED CONTINUING TO ORD, KEEPING THE PAX ON OXYGEN. THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND ASKED TO BE LET INTO THE FLT DECK. HE CAME IN HOLDING AN ALMOST DEPLETED DECOMPRESSION/FIRST AID BOTTLE AND ADVISED US THAT THEY HAD USED THE WRONG BOTTLE. WE REQUESTED AND DSNDED TO FL250. THE THERAPEUTIC BOTTLE WAS IN USE WITH THE PAX, SO THAT COULD NOT BE SUBSTITUTED FOR THE DECOMPRESSION/FIRST AID BOTTLE. THE TIME THAT WE WERE ABOVE FL250 WITHOUT THE REQUIRED BOTTLE WAS KEPT TO A MINIMUM, BECAUSE WE DSNDED PROMPTLY. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF CONFUSION WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS ABOUT THE PROPER BOTTLE TO USE.

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.