Nebraska couple provides emergency medical assistance on back-to-back flights

By DAMON BENNETT

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    LINCOLN, Nebraska (Lincoln Journal Star) — Lincoln doctor and nurse were called into action not once, but twice for medical emergencies while flying to Colombia in October.

Eric Crimmons is a cardiac anesthesiologist, and his wife, Annie Crimmons, is a retired ICU nurse. The couple was flying to Bogotá, Columbia, to visit a friend who had an art exhibition.

On Oct. 21, the couple boarded their plane in Denver after flying from Lincoln, and everything was business as usual. The couple was flying to Houston, and then on to Bogotá.

“I think I was kind of grouchy because we had gate-checked my bag, and I was worried we wouldn’t get it back,” Annie said.

That concern quickly moved to the back of her mind.

About 30 minutes into the flight, there was a call over the intercom asking for any passengers with a medical license to identify themselves.

Eric went up to check on what was happening.

A man was being looked after by two other passengers with medical experience. He was conscious and the other passengers appeared to have the situation handled, so Eric returned to his seat.

Five minutes later, Eric decided to check on the passenger again because he noticed the flight attendants were continuing to return to the area.

This time, the situation was dire.

The passenger had collapsed, but was still conscious when Eric arrived at his seat. He said the sequence of events was a bit chaotic, but shortly after that the passenger lost consciousness and didn’t have a pulse.

Eric knew this meant the passenger had entered cardiac arrest.

“Your instinct kicks in and you immediately begin a resuscitation,” Eric said. “But the difficulty in that situation is that you’re at 40,000 feet and there’s no equipment and supplies immediately available that you’re familiar with.”

There was an Automated Electric Defibrillator onboard, and he said there was initial success using it, but the situation progressed and the group began supporting the patient with CPR.

“It’s just a bit of a surprise to have to jump into medical care mode without a notice,” Eric said.

When Eric didn’t return, Annie went to check on the situation.

She had to crawl across several seats to help, and the two continued CPR for 25 minutes, accompanied by the original passengers that had helped. The plane made an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas, where an ambulance was waiting for the man.

No information is available on his condition.

“What transpired was actually what I’m used to doing frequently,” Eric said. “It’s part of my role as an anesthesiologist in cardiac surgery.”

“But not in the wild,” Annie added, laughing.

Among the other medical personnel that responded to the call for help were a respiratory therapist and a former Army medic from Texas.

“The team that cared for this gentleman was pretty close to a team that you would assemble in a hospital,” Annie said.

After about an hour delay, the plane continued to Houston, and the couple narrowly made their connecting flight.

Annie and Eric were sitting separately on their next flight. About 30 minutes in, the same call came over the intercom, asking for any passengers with a medical license.

Still riding the adrenaline high from the first rescue, Annie waved at Eric to get his attention.

“Well, let’s go,” Eric said.

The couple went to the back of the plane, where a man had collapsed on the way to the bathroom.

“He got up and was pretty gray-colored and diaphoretic (sweaty),” Annie said.

The passenger didn’t want to alarm anyone, and thought he had eaten something that caused his condition. The couple continued to check on him every few minutes and his condition eventually improved, so they returned to their seats.

“I’ve been flying for a long time, I don’t think I can recall any sort of serious medical event on any flight that I had been on,” Eric said. “To have a second flight where the same scenario unfolded was interesting.”

When the couple arrived in Bogotá, Annie’s fears had been realized: the luggage had missed their connection in Houston. But it arrived three days later, and they were able to enjoy the rest of their trip without further incident.

Annie commended the crews of both flights for their work in the situations.

“Once they realized there was a team that was able to help, they were able to make sure everyone else was safe, and they did a good job of protecting the privacy and dignity of the passenger,” Annie said.

Eric says he’s thankful for the people who perform rescues on a normal basis.

“I have a greater appreciation for paramedics and first responders who encounter people out in public, in a non-hospital setting, who have to work around the obstacles that are presented,” Eric said.

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