B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Total 12998; Flight Crew Type 6738
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Diverted
Procedure
Everything was routine until I was briefed on a passenger medical situation in the cabin. A 19 year old Female was light headed and having difficulty breathing. Two Doctors were assisting. The Purser told them that we could patch to MedLink for a consultation [which was] requested a few moments later. While I spoke with [the] Doctor; First Officer (FO) established the patch with MedLink through Dispatch. [The] Doctor explained to me that she was concerned about a possible Blood Clot in the patient's lung; due to the symptoms she was displaying and medication she was currently using. After [the] Doctor spoke with MedLink; it was decided by all involved that we needed to divert for Medical Attention. MedLink advised that our closest airport with appropriate facilities for the patient's condition was ZZZZ1. Dispatch and I started to evaluate the airport for a possible diversion. We [advised ATC of] a Medical emergency and received a clearance direct to the Airport. A few moments later we realized that Runway XY was closed. That left only Runway XX; at 5700 feet long. ZZZZ was also given to me as an appropriate diversion airport with no applicable NOTAMs. I spoke with [the] Doctor about how critical the additional 12 minutes of flight time might be. She indicated that amount of additional time would not be a problem. After speaking with my FO's about the medical condition vs the increased risk with an approach to such a short runway; we were all in agreement that ZZZZ would be a safer operation. I informed Dispatch of my decision and we received clearance from ATC direct to ZZZZ. I felt that our situation did not warrant the extra risk of what that type of approach at ZZZZ1 would bring; possible overrun or brake fire and the extra risk to the other passengers and aircraft. We continued to ZZZZ with an uneventful approach and landing. The patient was deplaned by the Paramedics and was conscious as she left.
This report is for a medical emergency that occurred on Aircraft X. About 30 minutes into my crew rest (2nd break) I was informed that I was needed as a medical issue was occurring with one of our passengers. The information I received was as follows.[A] 19 year old female became ill and short of breath with a diminished heart rate. Medical assistance was called and [a] Doctor responded and agreed to assist. I was informed that the Doctor was very concerned after learning that [the passenger] was taking Yasmin (birth control) which has the possible side effects of creating blood clots. [The] Doctor relayed to [the flight crew] that there may be a possibility that the aircraft should land as soon as possible so that medical assistance beyond what is available on the aircraft could be utilized. The cockpit was already in the loop relative to the situation prior to waking me from my crew rest (2nd break about 30 min into my break). After [I was] brought up to speed relative to the situation I went to the main cabin; was introduced to the Doctor and I confirmed with her that the situation was serious. During the event the Doctor was informed that we had the ability to patch her in with MedLink a service with trained ER Professionals who would assist her in determining what the best course of action would be. When I went forward the Captain was out of the cockpit as he was getting ready for his break. He was informed that MedLink needed to be called based on the seriousness of the situation. He called the Flight Deck and the First Officer would begin the process of contacting MedLink. I then went back to the Doctor and informed her that the process of contacting MedLink had begun and I asked her to come forward with me to allow her to talk directly to the Captain so that he could get firsthand information as to seriousness of the situation so that he would be able to make an informed decision moving forward. Prior to the Doctor coming forward we requested additional medical assistance as the Doctor was not comfortable leaving [the passenger] unattended while talking to the Captain. [Another] Doctor; an Emergency Medicine Resident; responded. MedLink was patched in; as we know the Boeing 767 does not have the capability to use the air-phone. Information was relayed between the Doctor to the cockpit via the interphone and then the Pilots relayed to MedLink. Once the information was relayed the Doctor returned to the patient and the Captain and I waited for the response from MedLink. The First Officer called back after 5-8 minutes that MedLink agreed with the Doctor's assessment and recommended diverting. The Captain then returned to the cockpit to begin the process of diverting to the nearest suitable airport. Shortly after the Captain returned to the cockpit he called me and I was informed we would divert to ZZZZ1 and land approximately 45-50 min. I then relayed that information to the Doctor I then informed the rest of the crew that we would be diverting and that we would need to start to secure the galleys for the diversion. The Doctor at some point after learning we would divert requested the AED so that [the passenger's] heart could be monitored. The Captain called back to inform me that the runway in ZZZZ1 that could accommodate the 767 was not long enough (the long runway was closed) and asked me to ask the Doctor if an additional 15 minutes flight time would be an issue for [the passenger]. I asked the Doctor to come back to the cross isle so that she could communicate directly to the Captain so there would be no misunderstanding relative to the question and the answer. She said it should not be an issue and it appeared that [the passenger] was stabilized for the moment. The Captain then informed me we would be diverting to ZZZZ.I let the [people traveling with the ill passenger] know we would be diverting to ZZZZ so that [she] could receive medical attention and I asked if their intention was to stay with herin ZZZZ should the medical personnel remove her from the aircraft; the answer was yes. I let them know that based on the flight being an international flight I believed that their luggage would be removed and they would be able to retrieve them. Landing was uneventful we taxied to the gate; we disarmed the doors the agent knocked and I gave her the thumbs up. I informed the Captain prior to landing that I was unsure if the gate agents in ZZZZ would have the certification to open the 767 door and that if they did not I would take on that responsibility per our training. As expected they did not open the door; I went through the normal SOP door disarming procedure and then opened the door based on normal door operation. For the departure the same procedure was followed for door closure and arming.Once the door was opened emergency medical personnel boarded and attended to the [passenger] and then asked for the aisle chair (on board aisle chair) in order to transport her off of the aircraft. During the entire event we kept the passengers informed relative to the situation and generally they were understanding and cooperative.Emergency Equipment- After the decision was made to divert I had about 55 min to gather all of the information as to what emergency equipment was used. I notified the cockpit so that they could notify Tech Ops as to what equipment was used and what was available.4 long oxygen bottles had been used. 3 were still available. The EEMK was used. The AED was used to include all pads. (Both pairs where opened.) Concerns-I informed the Captain that I was concerned that both sets of pads for the AED had been opened and that we would continue on without a working AED and that we had less than half of the oxygen bottles available for the flight. Once the Captain relayed the information he informed me that the MEL stated that we could continue on as this was a stop based on an emergency situation and we could fly one leg without the AED pads.MedLink is a great resource however to not have the ability to directly speak to them from the cabin on the 767 could be an issue in the future based on the delay caused by a 3-way conversation.Suggestion-I believe a paper copy for SOP procedures should be available on all aircraft. The Link is a handy and functional tool; however I feel that immediate access to all of the procedures for First Aid would be a very important tool.
B767 Captain and a Flight Attendant reported diverting due to an ill passenger.