BALTIMORE — About an hour into a flight from Hawaii to Baltimore, with a layover in Los Angeles, an announcement came over the speaker: “Are there any physicians on board?” No one answered.
Then came a more panicked call for help: “Is there any medical professional?”
Emily Haley, a physician assistant at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, stood up. A flight attendant rushed over and escorted Haley to another passenger on board.
“She had been vomiting, diaphoretic, covered in sweat,” said Haley.
Haley requested an EKG from the crew, but they didn’t have one. She tried using a pulse oximeter, but the device didn’t work.
“We got her Apple Watch, attached it to her wrist. It just said her heart rate was over 160. That made my heart rate drop a little bit,” said Haley.
A normal heart rate would have been around 100 beats per minute. But they still had another 3.5 hours before landing.
“We were over the Pacific. It was the worst-case scenario,” said Haley.
“I was coming back from my honeymoon in Hawaii and here’s my brand-new husband possibly watching me die in front of him,” said Dr. Jacquelyn Lacera from Riverside, California.
The two medical professionals worked together to get through the crisis.
“Emily took total control of the situation; she knew exactly what to do,” said Lacera.
“It was so wonderful to have a physician there to brainstorm with,” said Haley.
Haley started an IV and administered fluids, but Lacera’s condition continued to worsen.
“It was a 10/10 chest pain,” said Lacera.
That’s when the decision was made to grab a defibrillator.
“An AED is typically used when someone loses a pulse, but I knew this was sort of headed in this direction,” said Haley.
Haley looked at Lacera and said, “I think I have to shock you. I don’t have another option.”
In a hospital setting, a patient like Lacera would usually be sedated.
“I didn’t have anything and she goes, ‘You wouldn’t believe how much that hurt,’ but I felt relief because she was alive. The fact that she was screaming was a good sign,” said Haley.
The plane landed in L.A. and Lacera was rushed to the hospital.
Lacera had to undergo several procedures and a cardiac catheterization study. She was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation.
The emergency sparked a conversation about the lack of resources on flights.
“The average American doesn’t think they’re going to die from lack of help on the plane,” said Lacera. “Flight attendants aren’t allowed to give any medication, so even if they’re there, it’s useless. I think we need to recognize that the equipment is super important. The training of the personnel is super important,” said Lacera.
Lacera who was once the doctor in a mid-flight emergency herself, recalled that flight having zero medical equipment on board.
“I ended up putting my ear to this man’s chest to hear his heart. And I thought this is crazy,” said Lacera.
Haley said many of her colleagues have also faced similar in-flight medical emergencies.
The near-death experience has inspired Lacera to take action. She has written a letter to her local congressperson advocating for improved medical equipment on flights.
