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You are here: Home / Emergency medicine / Is there a doctor on board?

Is there a doctor on board?

July 20, 2013 By David Marcus Leave a Comment

6a00d8341d843653ef0133f34a5c04970b-800wiWas just reading a review of outcomes of medical emergencies on commercial flights by Peterson et al published earlier this year in JAMA.  I’ve got a particular interest in this topic since my life is divided between two continents and I’ve been involved in several of these cases over the years.  It’s basically a summary of observational data from an emergency call center that contracts with major airlines.  Nothing earth shattering of course, though I was surprised to read that the youngest in-flight death they recorded was a baby only 1 month old.

One handy piece of information included in their appendices was a list of the supplies and meds contained in the Emergency Medical Kits (EMK) required by the FAA.  This has always been a popular topic of discussion and conjecture amongst my friends.  Now, we can debate why or why not to get involved, and to what extent.  But, assuming you choose to put your most beneficent foot forward, read on to see what kind of goodies you should  find on board (this paper by Sand et al demonstrates plenty of variability despite regulation).

For background, the Air Transport Medicine Committee of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) has developed it’s own recommendations, a last iteration of which seems to have come out in 2007.  Here are the actual FAA guidelines.  And finally, for your reference, here is what you will find during your next in-flight emergency (see bottom for elective supplementation), per Peterson et al:

1) Required contents of EMK

  • Airways, oropharyngeal
  • Adhesive tape, 1-inch
  • Alcohol sponges
  • CPR mask
  • IV administration set
  • Needles
  • Protective gloves
  • Sphygmomanometer
  • Stethoscope
  • Syringes
  • Tape scissors
  • Tourniquet
  • Manual resuscitation device with 3 masks
  • Basic instructions on use of the kit
  • Analgesic, non-narcotic
  • Antihistamine, 50 mg, injectable
  • Antihistamine tablets, 25 mg
  • Aspirin tablets, 325 mg
  • Atropine, 0.5 mg, 5 cc
  • Bronchodilator, inhaled
  • Dextrose, 50% / 50 cc, injectable
  • Epinephrine 1:1000, 1 cc, injectable
  • Epinephrine 1:10,000, 2 ml, injectable
  • Lidocaine, 5 ml, 20 mg/ml, injectable
  • Nitroglycerine tablets
  • Saline solution, 500 cc

2) Additional contents of enhanced EMKs (airline specific)

  • Burn dressings
  • Cord clamps
  • Disposable scalpel
  • Endotracheal tubes
  • Emergency tracheal catheter
  • Glucometer
  • Laryngoscope blade
  • Steri-strips
  • Thermometer
  • Tourniquet
  • Urinary catheter
  • Calcium chloride
  • Diazepam
  • Digoxin
  • Glucose gel
  • Furosemide
  • Lorazepam
  • Haloperidol
  • Hydrocortisone
  • Meclizine
  • Methylprednisolone
  • Metoprolol
  • Morphine
  • Nalbuphine
  • Naloxone
  • Promethazine
  • Sodium bicarbonate

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Filed Under: Emergency medicine, Internal Medicine, Professionalism Tagged With: aerospace medicine, AsMA, aviation, EMK, FAA, first aid, flight medicine, health, in flight emergency, medicine, travel medicine

About David Marcus

I'm an Emergency Physician and Internist at the LIJ Medical Center (Queens, NY) where I also serve as an attending physician in the Division of Medical Ethics. Obsessed with ED Critical Care, bedside sonography, medical ethics, and all kinds of outdoor stuff.

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