Paper Example. Heart Attack Patient in a Plane

The distance from Grey base hospital to Christchurch Hospital is about 237.8 kilometers. Due to the urgency of the matter at hand, the Cessna Caravan aircraft was, in this instance, the kind of airplane being used due to the need for prompt action to save the patient's life. The patient, in this instance, is a heart attack victim. Heart attack a health problem that puts the life of a person at risk and the time factor is critical to saving the life of such a patient (Carleton et al., 2014).

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A heart attack is said to occur when it is found that there has been a blockage of the coronary arteries of the heart (Jackson & McCulloch, 2014). The coronary arteries are vessels within the heart that supply blood within the heart. If there is obstruction of the coronary arteries, the muscles of the heart are deprived of supply of oxygen due to the blockage; hence there is said to be a heart attack. Symptoms would include chest pain, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, weakness or fatigue, numbness, or tingling in the arm (Jackson & McCulloch, 2014). Usually, the left hand and most of these symptoms are present as a result of poor oxygenation as the heart is the organ that pumps blood throughout the body.

Initial Action to Heart Attack Patient

The definitive treatment for heart attack patients in a medical facility would begin with diagnostic tests. Such as an electrocardiogram, that records the conductivity of the heart (Formica et al., 2011). A blood test should also be taken on route to the hospital for testing which will show the presence of proteins that would have leaked into the blood after a heart attack. Immediate medication to be administered would be nitroglycerin placed sublingually to treat chest pain by widening the blood vessels; pain relievers such as morphine would also be delivered immediately (Formica et al., 2011). The patient would be reassured of the situation as anxiety is another major challenge during a heart attack (Williams 2011). Place the patient on a semi-fowler's position during transportation and ensure oxygen is flowing to the patient via an oxygen mask. It would also be crucial to monitor the patient's pulse rate and other vital signs that would be critical indicators of a change in the patient's situation (Formica et al., 2011).

Other necessary medication used for heart attack patients includes Aspirin which reduces blood clots medically known as a salicylate, Thrombolytic medicine which from the suggestion of the name dissolves clots within veins and arteries whereby if the obstruction in the coronary vessels is a clot then thrombolytic would effectively work, which would be given to the patient (Williams & Thompson, 2014). Beta-blockers to are used to bring relaxation to the muscles of the heart, by slowing down the heart rate, Ace inhibitors are useful in lowering blood pressure, and Statins which are used to control cholesterol levels within the body as cholesterol can also be attributed to obstruction of the coronary vessels (Formica et al., 2011). A heart attack is an emergency situation that requires prompt treatment. Prompt action refers to a fast and quick effort to save lives. It is imperative to note that response in emergencies should be nothing short of fast teamwork.

Immediate response to a heart attack patient is critical. It should be done quite fast as time is of urgent. In these situations, it involves instant notification to the hospital on the preparation of the emergency situation at hand, and administration of nitroglycerin sublingually to enhance blood flow within the heart by dilation of the coronary vessels (Formica et al., 2011). Proper positioning of the patient to allow sufficient airflow to the patient and decrease anxiety to the patient is also critical in saving life. It would be of important to start the administration of oxygen to the patient via an oxygen mask and institute an intravenous line for withdrawal of blood samples and also more straightforward access to an intravenous line in case of establishing an infusion (Formica et al., 2011).

In case the patient has any tight clothing, it would be essential to remove all tight clothing to enhance the oxygen supply throughout the patient's body. Monitoring of the patient's airway and vital signs is of crucial importance, and any situation of non-response should be counteracted with CPR's performance (Formica et al., 2011). The patient should be on oxygen at all times during transportation to the hospital facility, and there should be an assured response to the situation of the patient.

Initial Action Before Aircraft Emergency Landing

An aircraft emergency landing is a necessary aircraft landing in the event of an unprecedented occurrence on an airplane (Littell 2015). In this instance, the pilot noted that the engine had stopped working; therefore, there was a need for an emergency landing. Despite having an emergency on board a heart attack victim, there was the happening of another crisis. In this instance, there is required to be fast thinking and fast working in order to ensure the survival of everyone on board. Before an aircraft emergency landing it is of crucial importance to stay calm this ensures that one is able to think clearly in the event of the emergency landing and prepare for the games to happen after by placing into consideration the exit of the plane and how much it is of importance to be readily prepared to leave immediately after the crash (Littell 2015).

This aircraft has a patient onboard which is important to ensure their safety at all times (Littell 2015). Their safety would be ensured by providing they are strapped in securely should anything go wrong they should not be prone to further injury or harm (Williams & Thompson, 2014). Medical equipment being used should also be firmly secure such as heart monitors and oxygen tanks. The patient at all times should be made aware of what is happening and requested to stay calm despite the turn of events. Ensure their oxygen is flowing through the oxygen mask, and the heart monitor and other medical equipment are working effectively (Littell 2015). Safety gadgets such as a life jacket should be worn appropriately. The safety jackets should not be inflated. It would then be of importance to strap oneself in securely having worn a safety jacket (Littell 2015). Staying calm and be prepared for the outcome of the emergency landing.

How to Prepare for a Crash Landing

No one can fully be prepared for a crash landing, and hence it should be noted that one can only take measures to ensure their safety upon landing and not much more. In preparation for a crash landing, as it is the case in this scenario, it is necessary to wear seatbelts and ensure they are secure to ensure there is no movement of the passengers during the crash (Littell 2015). Oxygen masks should also be worn by the crew member and the patient on board the reason as to this is to ensure that there is neither the patient nor the crew runs out of oxygen at any one point as a state of hypoxia can eventually result in death (Littell 2015).

Preparation of a crash landing also ensures that one has a life vest on that is non-inflated, and those on board are aware of the nearest exit on the plane as it will be of importance after the crash (Littell 2015). Flat shoes that have been worn should be strapped onto the shoes of the crew member, and their feet should be securely firmly placed on the ground as they prepare for the impact they should at all times remember to stay calm and reduce the anxiety of the patient on board by genuinely reassuring them of the situation at hand.

The patient should be securely strapped as well with all medical equipment firmly secured to prevent further injury as the outcome of the crash landing tends to be unknown (Littell 2015). Remain still and avoid all sorts of body movement as this would lead to damage from other sources during the crash landing.

How to Prepare the Patient for a Crash Landing

It is imperative to ensure the safety of the patient on board at all times and do everything in one's power to ensure that very little or no harm comes to them (Littell 2015). The patient is prone to be anxious in the event of a crash landing, and this, in turn, could worsen his current medical condition and even result in another episode of heart attack that could be fatal to the patient and so the patient should be informed on the happening of events. By decreasing anxiety, the patient can feel safe and, in turn, be able to stay calm, thus promoting their health (Littell 2015).

Initially, all medical equipment should be efficiently strapped in securely such that in the event of a crash, they are not prone to a further movement that would lead to harm (Littell 2015). Ensure monitoring of heart rate is effectively taking place, and oxygen is always running despite the events of the crash.

Closely monitor the patient as events of the crash landing occur and prepare for evacuation immediately after the crash by accessing the exit, ensure the cardiac monitor is working, and there is a free flow of oxygen to the patient, look at the patient's pallor frequently and take note of any changes shown by the patient during the crash landing (Littell 2015). Get to know where the emergency supplies are located because there will need to use them immediately after the crash.

Immediate Action to take on non-Responsive Pilot and Patient

Unresponsiveness could much be attributed to the impact of the crash after all the pilot was responsive until after the crash. Every step to be done in a bid to save their lives must be done quickly and promptly. The immediate action that should be taken after the crash would be to call for help and further assistance via radio, and this is because, in the event of an emergency, alerting one's team on the urgency is critical, especially in an emergency crash (Sereewattana et al., 2015). Assess the level of unresponsiveness using the glass glow comma scale, which is a level of scoring used in giving a number to the level of consciousness exhibited by a patient. It encompasses eye-opening, verbal response, and motor responses. In the scenario of suspected brain injury, a glass glow coma scale score of 8 or less shows severe damage (Formica et al., 2011). In contrast, a glass glow comma scale of 9 to 12 indicates moderate trauma to the brain, and a glass glow comma scale of 13-15 suggests mild traumatic brain injury (Formica et al., 2011).

Another way of testing the level of consciousness in a patient is by using the AVPU (alert, voice, pain, unresponsiveness) A (alert) is the patient follows all commands, V (view) is the patient can respond to verbal commands, P (pain) the patient returns to pain by either moving, moaning, or even crying out loud, U (unresponsiveness) the patient doesn’t respond to any verbal or painful stimuli (Jackson & McCulloch, 2014). In this instance, it would be genuine to use both scales to ascertain the level of unconsciousness wholesomely. Quickly down on protective equipment such as gloves as per the availability to prevent cross-infection, as every patient should be considered as a risk of infection no matter the situation. According to the FAA and NTSB, 40 percent of fatalities after the plane crash happened in instances that were survivable (Sereewattana et al., 2015).

Explain the status of the happening events to the pilot and the patient and inform them that help is on its way (Littell 2015). As a result, they will be able to stay calm. As this is happening, one should be able to assess for any further damage that can occur from the crash site, such as fuel spillage, as any fuel spillage could easily result in the plane blowing up into a fire that would lead to fatalities after the crash.