Duane Hicks
When local RN Lori Gladu boarded a WestJet flight in Winnipeg to go on vacation in Montego Bay, Jamaica back on April 1, she thought she would be leaving her work behind her and have a nice, relaxing holiday.
But when Gladu heard the announcement on the plane’s intercom system asking if there were trained medical personnel aboard the flight as it was high in the sky, she acted without a second thought.
“This message came over the intercom requesting help from anyone with medical background—MD, nurses, paramedics, anyone basically,” she recalled.
“Being an RN, I responded to the call, glancing around to see if I could see anyone in distress.
“Then they announced go to aisle whatever, so I approached this elderly male individual who was completely unresponsive—head down on his chest, not breathing,” Gladu added.
“And his wife was in distress at his side.
“I realized I had a narrow window of three-five minutes before possible brain damage, and there was no other medical personnel aboard the plane,” she noted.
Getting medical directives from a doctor on the ground via an emergency hotline phone, Gladu immediately took action using the WestJet emergency kit to start an intravenous feed and restart the man’s heart.
She also used the overhead oxygen mask to assist in reviving him.
But a closer look at the details of the 45-minute ordeal better illustrate that saving a life on an airplane is no simple matter.
“When I was starting the IV, I was unable to locate a tourniquet in the kit,” Gladu said.
“Of course, you’re acting quickly so you don’t have a lot of time to look,” she conceded.
“When I was unable to locate it, I pulled out my ponytail fastener from my hair and put it over his arm and used it for a tourniquet, winding the stethoscope bell in there to tighten it,” Gladu explained.
“I had to put the bell in and twist the bell in order to get a vein in because he was non-circulatory at this point.”
Gladu said she had a phone held between her one shoulder and ear, talking to the doctor.
At the same time, she was asking the patient’s wife for any medical information she could provide that could help save her husband, such as his medical history, if he was on medications, if he had diabetes, etc.
When responding to an emergency involving a stranger on a plane with no medical records on hand, “you’re starting from zero,” noted Gladu.
All the while, Gladu was straddling the patient in his seat and starting an IV into his arm. The man was laying back with his feet elevated.
“I had one shot to get that needle in, and he has no circulation, so how do you dig a vein up?” she recounted.
“And when you insert the needle, black blood returning means their heart is not working.
“I was trying to listen on my stethoscope but the turbine was right outside, by his head,” added Gladu.
“No pedal pulses, no vein up.
“It was really difficult but I got it first shot; first try at the IV,” she said.
“I was able to administer meds through IV and he started to come around,” she added, noting the whole procedure was made that much more difficult due to turbulence.
“It was high-stress for me,” she admitted.
But not only was Gladu able to keep calm, she was able to calm the passengers and reassure the man’s wife that he would pull through.
After her patient was revived, Gladu had to perform an “all-systems assessment” to determine if his pupils were reactive to light, he was breathing all right, and he otherwise was functioning healthily.
The flight made an emergency landing in Orlando, Fla., where paramedics promptly took away the man on a gurney to hospital.
Gladu had to provide a written report to the paramedics for follow-up care.
“The rewarding part to me was that the elderly man was able to speak, wave, and thank the passengers and myself on his way off the plane on a stretcher,” she remarked.
“That was magnitudinal for me,” she added. “Despite WestJet’s rewards—they’ve granted me gratuities and rewards—that in itself was my reward.”
Gladu also was thrilled when all the pilots lined up and shook her hand as she left the plane.
“They were very thankful,” she enthused.
Gladu thanked the WestJet staff for their exemplary service, noting they responded quickly to her directions.
“They were able to assist me in many ways,” she said. “They were prompt and attentive . . . I can’t say enough about them.
“Some of the passengers, as well, gave up their personal items to me so I could assist this fellow’s comfort,” added Gladu, noting pillows and blankets were among them.
The man spent four days in hospital in Orlando, got a pacemaker, and remained there two weeks for follow-up.
Gladu and her friends, meanwhile, had a 12-hour delay in Orlando but eventually made it to Montego Bay by 3:30 a.m. the next day.
“Our receiving parties were distressed but it was worth it,” she noted.
Since the incident, Gladu has been in contact with the man and his wife, who are residents of Altona, Man.
He has fully recovered.
“It was good to hear his voice, and know he and his wife have happily resumed their lifestyle in Altona,” said Gladu.
“My reward was the fact that he has resumed his normal standard of living and continues now in good health.”
