You are here: Telemed.no > News archive > >
Aviation First as MedAire Receives Life-Saving Medical Transmission at 37,000 Feet
TEMPE, Ariz. (April 10, 2003) MedAire, Inc. (ASX Code: MDE) and British Midland Airways Ltd (bmi) have made aviation history after an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading was transmitted remotely from a bmi flight to hospital-based physicians working in MedAires MedLink Global Response Center. The transmission was the first time a passengers vital sign data was successfully used to diagnosis and treat a heart attack victim inflight.
While on a bmi flight from Chicago to Manchester, Mr. Stephen Clarke, 50, of Chesire, United Kingdom, benefited from a remote vital sign monitoring device called the Tempus 2000, which was installed only ten months ago on all bmi transatlantic flights. The ECG was of such good quality that MedAires ground-based physicians in Phoenix, Arizona were able to make an immediate diagnosis of heart attack and advise appropriate treatment.
The 12-lead ECG tracing we received was virtually the same quality as I see in the emergency room, said Dr. Robert Scott, the MedLink physician who responded to the inflight call from bmi. We take a lot of inflight calls every day that include symptoms of chest pain, but very few are actually heart attacks. In this situation the patient did not have a history of heart problems, which would lead us to treat him on a conservative basis. However, with the ECG confirming his condition and the exceptional assistance from the chief flight attendant, we were able to treat much more aggressively and immediately utilized all of the appropriate onboard medical resources in support of the passenger.
The Tempus 2000, developed by Remote Diagnostic Technologies Ltd. (RDT), has enabled bmi crew to obtain clinically accurate vital signs from any passenger or crewmember taken ill on flight. The results are then transmitted instantaneously to MedAires Global Response Center, where doctors will use the data to advise the crew of the best course of action. The mobile device allows someone with no medical experience to collect and transmit a patients blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.
I was very anxious at the time but I was amazed at how quickly the chief flight attendant reacted and how quickly the equipment was set up and information communicated, said Clarke. The doctors responded immediately and the chief flight attendant gave me the treatment that they advised from the doctors box on the aircraft. The whole thing was so confidence-inspiring that I immediately felt much less anxious.
Weve used Tempus many times since we installed it in May last year but this is the first time that an ECG has needed to be transmitted from a commercial airliner in flight, said Dr. Graham Cresswell, chief medical officer at bmi. Im delighted that this, the most demanding of the techniques involved, was so effective and that our considerable investment in this cutting-edge equipment has been justified. Passenger health is more and more on the agenda these days and were very proud that bmi is the first airline to have this type of equipment installed.
About
MedAire
Established in 1986, MedAire offers fully integrated health and security solutions including remote emergency assistance services, training and web-based education programs, specialized resources such as medical and security kits and a network of international-standard medical clinics in Asia. MedAire provides services to commercial airlines throughout the world, corporate flight departments, government agencies, military, maritime operators, and international business travelers and expatriates. MedAire, listed under MDE on the Australian Stock Exchange, can be found on the Internet at www.medaire.com.
# #
#
E-mail this
