Each day over 100,000 flights take off globally, carrying billions of people per year. When in-flight medical emergencies (IME) occur, resources are limited and the flight crew rely on medical volunteers to help in many cases. Altitude, often being hours from a medical facility, limited equipment and treatment options, and medical volunteers being unfamiliar with resources can present a challenge in these emergencies. Due to our knowledge, and expert skills, CRNAs are well suited to help in an IME. In this lecture I will discuss the most common IME, medical equipment available, and resources available to the medical volunteer.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the most common in-flight medical emergencies (IME).
Identify the equipment and resources available to CRNAs in an IME.
Discuss the role of the medical volunteer in an IME.
Discuss the medico-legal issues of the medical volunteer in an IME.
