Cessna Caravan Saves the Day: 237.8km Heart Attack Flight - Essay Sample

Introduction

The distance from Grey base hospital to Christchurch hospital is about 237.8 kilometers. Due to the urgency of the matter in hand, 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 time factor is critical to save the life of such a patient (Carleton et al., 2014).

Since the 1970s significant change has been evident in the aero craft industry among them was the introduction of aeromedical teams. In this instance an aeromedical team is a group of individuals who are well trained in both aviation and healthcare and are able to provide care in a challenging environment would be considered very necessary as in the case of this scenario. Team training between the aeromedical team and the hospital is also key as the two have a great chance of better overall outcome of health for the patient through effective team work. 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.

The patient would be reassured on the situation as anxiety is another major challenge during a heart attack (Williams 2011). Immediate response to a heart attack patient is critical. It should be done quite fast as time is of urgency. In these situations, it involves instant notification to the hospital on the preparation of the emergency situation at hand, 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 importance to start administration of oxygen to the patient via oxygen mask and instituting an intravenous line for withdrawal of blood samples and also more straightforward access to ana 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 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 assured response to the situation of the patient.

Initial Action before Aircraft Emergency Landing

At a NASA workshop in 1979 it was noted that majority of aviation accidents were out of human error and one of the main problems was failure of interpersonal communication, decision making and leadership in the cock pit. It was at the need to counteract the events of aviation accident that crew resource management training was introduced in order to ensure safety and make use of all available procedures and equipment in order to ensure effective flight operations. Crew resource management training is used worldwide under most regulated bodies.

Aircraft emergency landing is a necessary aircraft landing in the event of an unprecedented occurrence on the airplane (Littell 2015). It can either be controlled ditching where the pilot has a degree in the control over the aircraft or uncontrolled ditching whereas the name suggests the pilot has no control over the aircraft thus considered dangerous as the impact of the landing can be of high velocity. In this instance, the pilot noted that the engine had stopped working and it was an uncontrolled ditching. It is important to be aware of the situation at hand which can also be referred to as situation awareness which is key in correct decision making as in the scenario at hand, decisions made in the happening of these scenario need to be the right decisions and handled in the right way to save the lives of those on board.

Despite having an emergency on board which is 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 which can be assured by good communication whether verbal or nonverbal between the crew, patient and the pilot as 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).

Decision making skills are also of much importance in this situation as poor decisions can be quiet costly in a situation like this. Priority has to be placed first to ensure survival of the pilot, the crew and the patient. Problem solving skills also come in handy in this situation as one has to look at the overall outlook of the current situation. This aircraft which has a patient onboard that 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 the heart monitors and oxygen tank. It would also be key to gather all necessary equipment such as first aid kit, rations, torch , water and navigation equipment among others this equipment will be necessary for survival.

Safety gadgets such as a life jacket should be worn appropriately as it is in approximation that 80% of the earth’s surface is covered by water therefore it is key to use a life vest, the life jacket should not be inflated as it will impede exit from the cabin for the crew member and it may also sustain damage during egress, it should be inflated immediately if injured upon reaching the surface. It would then be of importance to strap oneself in securely having worn a safety jacket (Littell 2015). Staying calm and reduce chances of injury on impact by minimizing human target area to foreign objects, ensuring stability in one’s seat.

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 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 crash landing also ensures that one has a life vest on that is non-inflated, and those on board are aware of the nearest primary exits and secondary exit on the plane and know how they will be of importance after the crash (Littell 2015). The seat belt which is also an important factor should be firmly fastened in order to ensure the body doesn’t move on impact.

In the uncontrolled ditching scenario it would be important to perform effective brace positions by tightly pressing the buttocks on the seat and firmly placing ones feet flat on the cabin floor and minimize body movement as much as possible and ensure all hazardous material or sharp objects that can cause injury to the patient or self are out of harm’s way during the crash landing. One can also bend forward tightly as possible keeping the torso as close as possible to the thighs. Using the opposite hand firmly hold the edge of the seat to ensure stability.

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 should be securely strapped in and even assisted to put on a life jacket on and ensure their emergency breathing system is working. Activate emergency locator transmitters that would be beneficial in rescue assistance after the crash landing.

Initially, all medical equipment should be efficiently be 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) one can also manually activate emergency locator transmitters. Release the pilot from their seat belt and head for the exit where if the primary exit is blocked look out for the secondary exit.

According to the FAA and NTSB, 40percent of fatalities after the plane crash happened in instances that were survivable (Sereewattana et al., 2015). This implies that had the correct measures been taken then there would have been notably better survival rates among plane crash victims over the years.

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. Following the fast evacuation of the pilot and patient from the crash site, it would be of crucial importance to also remove medical supplies from the plane and emergency kit of the aircraft that would, in turn, be used by for survival as help is on its way (Littell 2015). In the event of such an emergency, one has to work fast and with precision due to effectively meet the needs of both patients.

Non-Responsive Pilot

Since the patient is unresponsive, it is indispensable to assess the patient from head to toe and ascertain the type of injuries sustained and to know which is of the most important to address as fast as possible (Jackson & McCulloch, 2014). First aid techniques will hence come into play by checking if there is any obstruction to the pilot’s airway and immobilize the pilot’s neck to prevent movement of the neck re...