Newlywed docs save life of fellow passenger
Picture this: you're flying home after your romantic honeymoon in Maui, when the man seated behind you suddenly becomes very ill. What do you do? If you happen to be doctors like Children's Hospital Boston Infectious Diseases fellow Paul Lantos, MD, and his new wife, Gretchen Green, MD, you help save his life.
The newlyweds were just settling into their over-sized first class seats on January 25, when the 61-year-old man, who had a history of high blood pressure and recent fainting spells, suddenly took a turn for the worse. Lantos checked his vital signs using the equipment on board the plane, all of which pointed to the possibility that the man was having a heart attack.
One minute honeymooners and the next doctors, the couple sprang into action. As the plane flew over the Pacific, they gave the man oxygen and chewable baby aspirin and remained in constant communication with the flight crew. The man's symptoms remained consistent for two hours, but the automatic defibrillator on board indicated he was experiencing heart rhythm changes consistent with a heart attack. "At that point, we told the crew that we needed to land," says Lantos. As the plane began to descend, Green, standing awkwardly in the aisle, started an IV, while Lantos hooked up fluids to support the man's blood pressure.
Paramedics arrived as the plane landed in Los Angeles, getting an update from Lantos and Green and quickly transporting the man and his wife to a nearby hospital. The couple later learned that, as they had suspected, he suffered a significant heart attack requiring an angioplasty and stenting of two coronary arteries. The newlyweds heard from the man a few days after he was discharged from the hospital and returned home to Texas. He is doing well, and they plan to stay in touch.
