Just a "Plane" Scare on Mat's flight out to Nam

Mat's own words:


Medical mission starts early: I'm at the airport in Taipei on my way to Hanoi. On the 14 hour flight I had 3 "patients", each worse than the next. I was called on first to help a man who was reportedly very ill, but only turned out to have a headache. A few hours later the stewardess asked me to see a lady with a nosebleed that wouldn't stop. Then, when I thought I'd done my duty and we are in our final descent, I'm told a woman has passed out. I get back to her and she isn't breathing and has no pulse. I listen with a stethoscope and there are no heart sounds. I check her mouth and then they bring me an ambu-bag to resuscitate her with. I show the stewardess how to do a jaw thrust and work the bag and we start trading off - her with the bag and me doing chest compressions and occasionally stopping to listen for a heartbeat. After about 5 minutes I check her pupils, which are unreactive. I continue with compressions and breathing until we land and the EMS people board the plane. They bring on and AED, but she has no shockable rhythm. I'm pretty certain she died. Let's hope the rest of the trip goes better.