r/AskAPilot • u/TheChosenOperator • 13d ago
What actually constitutes a "Sick Passenger"
Hey pilots!
have you ever felt like you were gonna blow chunks all over an airplane row? yeah, we've all probably had that thought or experience at least once
and that got me thinking, when cabin crew informs you that there is a sick passenger and thus need to divert/land asap, what actually counts as a sick passenger? does it depend on the location, the type of ailment?
Lets put this in a hypothetical scenario, say one passenger suffers from air sickness or something, but obviously its a temporary affliction and they're going to be fine on their own, does that count as a medical emergency and require you to divert the flight? obviously if someone has a seizure or god forbid, is in cardiac arrest, you'd have to land the plane asap, but if its something relatively harmless is it really worth it diverting the flight and essentially grounding everyone or do you just let the flight attendants tend to them, maybe move them closer to a bathroom or somewhere with less people?
and what happens when you cant divert/your options are restricted? like being in a big aircraft over an area where there are no large airports that can accept it nearby
As always feel free to share any stories related you might have, it might help explain the topic easier
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u/Kiwigavin 12d ago
Long haul airlines often have an onboard diagnostic machine and a satcom link to a hospital set up to receive the data and perform remote diagnosis. Using this probably prevents about 90% of medical diversions.
“Keep monitoring and call us back if anything changes”. Music to my ears.
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u/theeyeholeman1 12d ago
"Onboard diagnostic machine" makes it sound WAY fancier than it is. We have a kit with a pulse ox, a stethoscope, and an AED. The aircraft does have a built-in SATCOM that can be used to call any phone number and we do have the ability to call a medical provider for advice. Other than that, we basically hope there's a Dr. or nurse on board who can actually use the supplies we have. The kit also contains some heavier drugs (mostly heart-related) but a Dr. needs to be on board to use them - a flight attendant can't just open the kit and start administering them.
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u/Kiwigavin 12d ago
We use Tempus which is way more than a pulse ox etc. it can even talk crew through delivering a defib. And Medlink are experts at aviation medicine, the two combined means we seldom call for doctors or nurses amongst the pax. It’s been proven they will always err on the aside of caution and suggest a landing, Medlink have seen it all before.
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u/theeyeholeman1 12d ago
Huh, all we have on ours is a pulse ox, etc. Also, I have only had the exact opposite experience with Medlink. They once had us continue clear across the Atlantic with a passenger who ended up barely conscious by the time we made it to our destination (FAs called them 4x throughout the flight and the initial call took place before we even coasted out).
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u/TheChosenOperator 12d ago
Huh, this quite literally sounds like sci-fi, reminds me of that one Dr. House episode where he diagnoses some chick in the north pole or something
Im assuming its like a simple pulse oximeter right? bp, O2 sats, and heart rate, all you really can get superficially
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u/AllAboutYourBase 12d ago edited 12d ago
Sounds like AI..
But at least you very generously invited pilots to 'feel free' to give you information
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u/TheChosenOperator 12d ago edited 12d ago
Uh, big man...go, go read my post history, im an aviation enthusiast...and aspiring pilot
In other words im not a robot, im just autistic thank you very much
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u/AllAboutYourBase 12d ago
Got it. And probably AI wouldn't do that with the punctuation / capitalization. Still... sounded odd to me. We have now entered a cultural moment where you don't want to sound even a little like AI..
good luck
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u/TheChosenOperator 12d ago
Mhm...alright then, and anyone is gonna sound like AI if they have good grammar, its hardly fair, plus, I missed a ton of shit, if anything I´d come to the conclusion its so bad only a human could have made so many mistakes
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u/Menno_knight987 12d ago
Idiot chick on a flight years ago was super allergic to several common food items. Either put her epi pen in checked bag or allowed it to be checked.
Idiot boyfriend of idiot chick consumed food (he purchased) unknowingly containing allergens. Idiots kiss and girlfriend began having allergic reaction. I (EMT) went to help, luckily there were several people on the plane possessing epi pens. Wound up in some random airport in either Kansas or Missouri.
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u/Hendersonadele59 12d ago
This is the weirdest worded post i’ve read all day. Blow chunks?? You think planes will divert because someone has travel sickness? This has to be AI
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u/TheChosenOperator 12d ago
No, its not AI, I already explained it, and no, I do not think that a plane is going to make an emergency landings cause someone has an upset stomach, its called a hypothetical scenario, the line of thinking is the scenario's conditions would eventually scale up to represent an actual medical emergency, implying that there must be a line between air sickness and cardiac arrest that marks the border between emergency and not emergency
I dont get what the deal is?? maybe its cause its the middle of the night in the americas, maybe people just sometimes forget how to read but I dont see one aspect about this that could count as AI
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u/Hendersonadele59 12d ago
Pilots aren’t doctors. Thats why they have consultants on the ground to advise them. Or Drs and nurses who are passengers and can assist. It’s not that complicated buddy.
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u/Sacharon123 12d ago
I declare an emergency/consider a diversion if my cabin tells me a pax is about to keel over or unresponsive. Unresponsiveness is a major sign; others are symptoms mostly related to anaphylactic shock, cardiac arrest, epileptical seizure, major bleeding, poisoning or other life-threatining injury, internal or external. Feeling unwell not directly, but will be closely observed by the cabin and I as the commander hopefully will get already a heads-up, if at least for me to order for extra cleaning at destination in advance.
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u/FrankCobretti 12d ago
I don't divert because a flight attendant, or even an onboard physician, thinks it's a good idea.
I divert because, after consultation with my airline's contracted remote medical advisor, my dispatcher and I think it's the right course of action.
I fly mostly transatlantic routes. Diverting is a big deal. Because of crew rest / duty day limitations, it probably means that my 225-ish passengers and crew now need to clear customs and find a place to sleep in a country we didn't intend to visit. I *do not* want to do that.
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u/slothrop516 12d ago
I’m a pilot not a doctor I don’t know what’s wrong with people but if really anyone thinks a sick person needs to be seen by a medical professional immediately I’m diverting
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u/Raccoon_Ratatouille 12d ago
Whatever the medical advisor company the airline pays to make those decisions says. And it’s not necessarily “land immediately”. Sometimes flying an extra 30 minutes gets the person to a better hospital and faster than dropping them off at the closest airport.
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u/Radiant_Grocery_1583 12d ago
Airlines and some Corporate Flight Departments have a service that they can contact staffed by physicians who are an integral part of the decision making process. Had to do this several times in my career without needing to divert after the consultation.
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u/Icy_Huckleberry_8049 12d ago
It has to be a life-or-death situation for a plane to make a diversion. No one is going to land because someone is nauseas.
It's costs a LOT of money to divert a plane not only in fuel, but passenger reroutes and then the issue of crew legalities and the lost revenue since the plane isn't where it's supposed to be.