Sir, – As a practising emergency physician, I have responded on several occasions to inflight emergencies, on short-haul and long-haul flights. The agreed contents of medical bags are meagre, but adequate for many emergencies. To carry sufficient supplies to cover all potential needs would be wasteful, as the demand is infrequent and the knowledge base needed would demand a physician, or equivalent, on every flight.
A specific piece of kit worth its weight in gold is an automated external defibrillator. If used within the first few minutes following cardiac arrest, the outcome can be virtually miraculous. I have reviewed, as commissioner of the St John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland, a number of such cases of successful defibrillation by trained volunteers, and have personally successfully defibrillated people outside hospital.
Let there be no doubt, potentially reversible cardiac arrest on flights is very rare. Published data is sparse, with a reported death rate of only one person per three to five million passenger journeys.
Given that the price of an automated external defibrillator is approximately €1,000, the entire Ryanair fleet of 300 aircraft could be equipped for 0.1 per cent of their post-tax profit for 2011. Aer Lingus would also need 0.1 per cent of net profit to protect their 9.5 million passengers on 49 aircraft.
The shelf-life of the batteries and pads, if unused, is approximately five years, giving a true cost of approximately €4 per aircraft per week.
The ideal position is for every crew member to be trained to cardiac first responder level, but this is not essential. Automated external defibrillators are designed for use by completely untrained people.
One of my students has, tongue in cheek, suggested that Ryanair add a box to their booking form asking if you wish to be resuscitated, and adding a small amount to your fare for this privilege. If this were set at 15 cent, a single concerned passenger “opting in” per flight would generate a profit. I am a bit surprised Michael O’Leary has not realised this already. – Yours, etc,