Narrative:

Approximately 2 hours in-flight; shortly after we finished our service; flight attendants were picking up and going through with waters. Flight attendant X; flight attendant Y; and I were in the back galley and a passenger said to me that someone has been in the forward aft bathroom for quite awhile. I noticed that the bathroom door was bulging out. I pressed on the door and it felt like body weight was pushing against it. I told the other flight attendants and said that it didn't look right. Flight attendant Y knocked on the door and asked if they were all right and there was no response. She unlocked the door and could not push it open. Flight attendant Y then pushed on the door and it opened a crack and she peeked in and noticed a body crumpled on the floor. Meanwhile; there is still a very long line for the bathroom. Flight attendant Y knew how to take the door off via the top left lever and she took the door off and placed it in the galley. Flight attendant X and another passenger were trying to feel a pulse and lift her out but she was too heavy. There were too many passenger in the back galley and in all the commotion of trying to get her out I could not reach the interphone so I ran up front to tell flight attendant Z about the situation and to page a doctor. I went back to aft galley and got the key and took out the aed; took it to the galley. As I was opening it; they placed the patient on the galley floor and a few doctors arrived. The first doctor on the scene had a baby in his arms and told the passenger coming out of the aft bathroom to hold the baby. She was stuck standing by door 3L as the patient was on the ground and the doctor immediately started cpr. There were 2 other women that were assisting him. I told him we had an aed and put it on the floor next to the patient and I put the pads on the patient as he was doing cpr. I turned on the aed and the woman at her head was getting an 'ambu bag' on her and the woman at her feet was feeling for a pulse. Flight attendant Y was stuck by door 3R holding the bathroom door so it would not fall on anyone. There were a lot of people in the area. I had to yell several times to not touch the patient as the aed was assessing; it did not shock. The medical people then continued to work on her and give cpr when the passenger holding the baby said she had to get out of the way and handed me the baby. Then several more passenger who were doctors or medical professionals came back to offer assistance; but it was already too crowded; and I told all passenger to please go back to their seats or use the lavatory up front. I thanked the medical professionals for the help and told them I would come get them if I needed their assistance. The purser came to the back to get all the information. The captain called and I answered the phone and she said they needed the passenger's name and seat number. As we were a full flight; I finally found an empty seat at xxb and the lady at xxa said yes it was an elderly lady traveling there by herself. Her purse and sweater were there and I looked in the purse for identify and found her boarding pass which said her name. I went up front and called the captain back with the information and told her it did not look good. She said they would be diverting to ZZZ right away. I went back to xxb's seat and looked through her purse to see if there was any indication of an existing illness like diabetes or heart medicine. There was nothing. I left her belongings on the seat and went back to the aft galley and they were still doing cpr and were putting her on an iv. Captain came on and told everyone we were landing in ZZZ because of the medical emergency. Flight attendant a had asked me to help her put everything away in the first class galley as she was by herself. I helped her put everything away and then the purser came back. I went to the back galley and told them we would be landing soon in ZZZ and because the doctor was doing cpr; 1 woman had the oxygen on her; the other woman had an iv in her left arm. Flight attendant X was by the forward aft bathroom on her knees holding the oxygen bottle and flight attendant Y was by door 3R holding the bathroom door. They told me they needed to land that way. The captain told us to prepare for landing and I went through the cabin quickly and sat at door 2L jumpseat. We landed and announcements were made for everyone to stay in their seats to let the paramedics on board. When the door opened; the captain and I told the paramedics where to go. As they were walking down the aisle; I noticed a passenger take a photo and I immediately made an announcement for there to be 'no pictures!' paramedics carried the patient out the door and put her on the jetway. They continued cpr and medical attention. It all happened so fast and was pretty chaotic and crowded but everyone worked so well to help the patient. Thank god we had 5 flight attendants and this is a perfect example as to why we need a minimum of 5 flight attendants on a full B757 aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RELATES DETAILED ACCOUNT OF A PASSENGER MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Narrative: APPROX 2 HRS INFLT; SHORTLY AFTER WE FINISHED OUR SVC; FLT ATTENDANTS WERE PICKING UP AND GOING THROUGH WITH WATERS. FLT ATTENDANT X; FLT ATTENDANT Y; AND I WERE IN THE BACK GALLEY AND A PAX SAID TO ME THAT SOMEONE HAS BEEN IN THE FORWARD AFT BATHROOM FOR QUITE AWHILE. I NOTICED THAT THE BATHROOM DOOR WAS BULGING OUT. I PRESSED ON THE DOOR AND IT FELT LIKE BODY WT WAS PUSHING AGAINST IT. I TOLD THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS AND SAID THAT IT DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT. FLT ATTENDANT Y KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND ASKED IF THEY WERE ALL RIGHT AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. SHE UNLOCKED THE DOOR AND COULD NOT PUSH IT OPEN. FLT ATTENDANT Y THEN PUSHED ON THE DOOR AND IT OPENED A CRACK AND SHE PEEKED IN AND NOTICED A BODY CRUMPLED ON THE FLOOR. MEANWHILE; THERE IS STILL A VERY LONG LINE FOR THE BATHROOM. FLT ATTENDANT Y KNEW HOW TO TAKE THE DOOR OFF VIA THE TOP L LEVER AND SHE TOOK THE DOOR OFF AND PLACED IT IN THE GALLEY. FLT ATTENDANT X AND ANOTHER PAX WERE TRYING TO FEEL A PULSE AND LIFT HER OUT BUT SHE WAS TOO HVY. THERE WERE TOO MANY PAX IN THE BACK GALLEY AND IN ALL THE COMMOTION OF TRYING TO GET HER OUT I COULD NOT REACH THE INTERPHONE SO I RAN UP FRONT TO TELL FLT ATTENDANT Z ABOUT THE SITUATION AND TO PAGE A DOCTOR. I WENT BACK TO AFT GALLEY AND GOT THE KEY AND TOOK OUT THE AED; TOOK IT TO THE GALLEY. AS I WAS OPENING IT; THEY PLACED THE PATIENT ON THE GALLEY FLOOR AND A FEW DOCTORS ARRIVED. THE FIRST DOCTOR ON THE SCENE HAD A BABY IN HIS ARMS AND TOLD THE PAX COMING OUT OF THE AFT BATHROOM TO HOLD THE BABY. SHE WAS STUCK STANDING BY DOOR 3L AS THE PATIENT WAS ON THE GND AND THE DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY STARTED CPR. THERE WERE 2 OTHER WOMEN THAT WERE ASSISTING HIM. I TOLD HIM WE HAD AN AED AND PUT IT ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO THE PATIENT AND I PUT THE PADS ON THE PATIENT AS HE WAS DOING CPR. I TURNED ON THE AED AND THE WOMAN AT HER HEAD WAS GETTING AN 'AMBU BAG' ON HER AND THE WOMAN AT HER FEET WAS FEELING FOR A PULSE. FLT ATTENDANT Y WAS STUCK BY DOOR 3R HOLDING THE BATHROOM DOOR SO IT WOULD NOT FALL ON ANYONE. THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE AREA. I HAD TO YELL SEVERAL TIMES TO NOT TOUCH THE PATIENT AS THE AED WAS ASSESSING; IT DID NOT SHOCK. THE MEDICAL PEOPLE THEN CONTINUED TO WORK ON HER AND GIVE CPR WHEN THE PAX HOLDING THE BABY SAID SHE HAD TO GET OUT OF THE WAY AND HANDED ME THE BABY. THEN SEVERAL MORE PAX WHO WERE DOCTORS OR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS CAME BACK TO OFFER ASSISTANCE; BUT IT WAS ALREADY TOO CROWDED; AND I TOLD ALL PAX TO PLEASE GO BACK TO THEIR SEATS OR USE THE LAVATORY UP FRONT. I THANKED THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FOR THE HELP AND TOLD THEM I WOULD COME GET THEM IF I NEEDED THEIR ASSISTANCE. THE PURSER CAME TO THE BACK TO GET ALL THE INFO. THE CAPT CALLED AND I ANSWERED THE PHONE AND SHE SAID THEY NEEDED THE PAX'S NAME AND SEAT NUMBER. AS WE WERE A FULL FLT; I FINALLY FOUND AN EMPTY SEAT AT XXB AND THE LADY AT XXA SAID YES IT WAS AN ELDERLY LADY TRAVELING THERE BY HERSELF. HER PURSE AND SWEATER WERE THERE AND I LOOKED IN THE PURSE FOR IDENT AND FOUND HER BOARDING PASS WHICH SAID HER NAME. I WENT UP FRONT AND CALLED THE CAPT BACK WITH THE INFO AND TOLD HER IT DID NOT LOOK GOOD. SHE SAID THEY WOULD BE DIVERTING TO ZZZ RIGHT AWAY. I WENT BACK TO XXB'S SEAT AND LOOKED THROUGH HER PURSE TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY INDICATION OF AN EXISTING ILLNESS LIKE DIABETES OR HEART MEDICINE. THERE WAS NOTHING. I LEFT HER BELONGINGS ON THE SEAT AND WENT BACK TO THE AFT GALLEY AND THEY WERE STILL DOING CPR AND WERE PUTTING HER ON AN IV. CAPT CAME ON AND TOLD EVERYONE WE WERE LNDG IN ZZZ BECAUSE OF THE MEDICAL EMER. FLT ATTENDANT A HAD ASKED ME TO HELP HER PUT EVERYTHING AWAY IN THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY AS SHE WAS BY HERSELF. I HELPED HER PUT EVERYTHING AWAY AND THEN THE PURSER CAME BACK. I WENT TO THE BACK GALLEY AND TOLD THEM WE WOULD BE LNDG SOON IN ZZZ AND BECAUSE THE DOCTOR WAS DOING CPR; 1 WOMAN HAD THE OXYGEN ON HER; THE OTHER WOMAN HAD AN IV IN HER L ARM. FLT ATTENDANT X WAS BY THE FORWARD AFT BATHROOM ON HER KNEES HOLDING THE OXYGEN BOTTLE AND FLT ATTENDANT Y WAS BY DOOR 3R HOLDING THE BATHROOM DOOR. THEY TOLD ME THEY NEEDED TO LAND THAT WAY. THE CAPT TOLD US TO PREPARE FOR LNDG AND I WENT THROUGH THE CABIN QUICKLY AND SAT AT DOOR 2L JUMPSEAT. WE LANDED AND ANNOUNCEMENTS WERE MADE FOR EVERYONE TO STAY IN THEIR SEATS TO LET THE PARAMEDICS ON BOARD. WHEN THE DOOR OPENED; THE CAPT AND I TOLD THE PARAMEDICS WHERE TO GO. AS THEY WERE WALKING DOWN THE AISLE; I NOTICED A PAX TAKE A PHOTO AND I IMMEDIATELY MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THERE TO BE 'NO PICTURES!' PARAMEDICS CARRIED THE PATIENT OUT THE DOOR AND PUT HER ON THE JETWAY. THEY CONTINUED CPR AND MEDICAL ATTN. IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST AND WAS PRETTY CHAOTIC AND CROWDED BUT EVERYONE WORKED SO WELL TO HELP THE PATIENT. THANK GOD WE HAD 5 FLT ATTENDANTS AND THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE AS TO WHY WE NEED A MINIMUM OF 5 FLT ATTENDANTS ON A FULL B757 ACFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.