Heroic doctor saves plane passenger who stopped breathing
Dr. Nasim Zamir was at the gate in Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Jan. 3, waiting to board his flight back to Saskatoon, when he heard over the intercom that there was a medical emergency and that a medical response team would soon be there.
“When I heard that, that’s when instinct kicked in,” Zamir said. “I stood up and spoke to one of the crew members.”
A graduate of the medical program at Hamilton’s Mcmaster University, Zamir is in his first year as an internal medicine resident at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine. After offering to help, he was ushered onto the plane.
He recalls walking down a long corridor as possible scenarios raced through his mind: had the victim suffered a seizure, heart attack or anaphylactic reaction” He reminded himself to go through “the basics” — ABC, which stands for airway, breathing and circulation.
When Zamir entered the plane, he encountered a person who crew members said had fainted. She was sitting upright with her face being held up, receiving oxygen through a face mask.
Zamir said he removed the face mask and saw the patient wasn’t breathing. He couldn’t find a pulse, and told the crew he would start CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). He asked the crew to lay the patient down in the aisle, then he began chest compressions.
“Everybody was very professional, very accommodating, they all had clear roles in the situation,” Zamir said. “One crew member was taking care of the airway, the other was getting the defibrillator ready. And I knew help was coming on its way.”
Zamir asked to switch roles with one of the crew members; he then applied the defibrillator pads.
The machine assessed the patient’s heart rhythm and recommended a shock, which the team applied, then resumed CPR.
The pattern was repeated, Zamir said. Right before delivering a third shock, he noticed a pulse at the femoral artery. That told him spontaneous circulation had returned.
“I saw the patient take a breath in, and everybody was quite relieved at that point,” he said.
About seven or eight minutes into the incident, paramedics arrived and took over.
“I’m just quite happy that we were able to provide good resuscitation and buy her some time to go to the hospital in a stable condition,” Zamir said.
He remembers trying to console his patient’s partner, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder and telling him she was stable now and would be taken to hospital.
Zamir said he still does not know what led to the situation, nor what became of the patient.
He credits his training at the U of S, which includes regular simulations, for the fact he was prepared to step into a medical emergency such as this.
“Initially I was very nervous, but once you have an unstable patient you stick to principles and then you go based on that protocol. And that gives you at least, I’d say, a very regimented approach.”
He said he never imagined applying his training in a real-life situation so soon, but “funny enough, I remember reading some articles right at the beginning of my residency training about on-board emergencies.” He recalls being “quite surprised” by the medication
I’m just quite happy that we were able to provide good resuscitation and buy her some time to go to the hospital in a stable condition.
carried on board, he said.
“We typically cannot discuss customer matters for privacy reasons. Nonetheless, we are deeply appreciative of doctors’ efforts and actions when assisting our customers,” Air Canada said in a prepared statement.
“On board, our flight crews are trained to respond to medical emergencies and our aircraft are equipped with the means to quickly contact medical professionals on the ground to determine the most appropriate course of action, which may entail the use of the onboard medical kits.
“All aircraft are equipped with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). As well, every cabin crew is trained on how to use the device and perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).”
Zamir had been spending the New Year’s holiday with his family and fiancée, and was on his way back to his training in Saskatoon when the incident happened. Asked how his parents reacted, he said they were more concerned about the woman he helped.