http://www.unison.ie/irish_independe...issue_id=14689
Airline criticised over lack of 'basic' equipment for mid-air lifesaving bid
A NURSE who had to give unprotected mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dying passenger on a Ryanair plane has hit out at the lack of medical equipment.
Kate Douglas, who was returning from a holiday in Venice, rushed to the aid of a 24-year-old au pair who had collapsed at the rear of the plane.
But she said the Ryanair staff were unable to provide her with any latex gloves or a resuscitation mask.
"I was basically giving that girl who I didn't know, mouth-to-mouth CPR, exchanging fluids. I wasn't not going to do it, but it's not a nice position to be placed in," she said.
The medical emergency arose on the Ryanair flight from Treviso in Italy to Dublin last Friday. The captain of the plane appealed for any medical personnel to come forward and Mrs Douglas, another Irish nurse and an Italian doctor all responded.
Mrs Douglas, from Youghal in Cork, said she could not believe the plane did not have basic medical equipment, such as an airway device or an ambu-bag which is used to force air into the lungs of people with breathing problems.
"We were in extreme difficulty doing the CPR because we didn't have that. It was very distressing anyway, but then you just get angry because there wasn't even the most basic equipment."
The 24-year-old woman was lain across three seats and given CPR for around 40 minutes while the Ryanair plane was diverted to Charleroi Airport in Belgium.
She was given further medical treatment by the emergency services when the plane landed but pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
The other Irish nurse on the flight, Suzanne Scott from Malahide in Dublin, said she had written to the Irish Aviation Authority to express her concerns.
"They didn't have any type of airway equipment although they did provide us with an oxygen bag and an oxygen cylinder. The staff did their best but they didn't seem to have much competence in first aid or CPR - one air hostess said she was only trained to take a pulse."
A Dublin family, who were due to receive the young woman as an au pair, wrote an e-mail to RTE's 'Liveline' programme to express their shock at her death. It is understood that she died from a brain haemorrhage.
Regulations
Under European aviation regulations, all planes on short-haul flights must have first-aid kits containing a list of 24 items, including one resuscitation mask and two pairs of latex gloves. However, there is no requirement to have medical equipment such as airway devices or ambu-bags.
Ryanair said all of its aircraft were stocked with two security-sealed first-aid kits, as required under the regulations. A spokeswoman said the first-aid kits on the Treviso-Dublin flight did contain four sets of latex gloves and two masks but she could not explain why the two nurses had not been provided with them.
"As the cause of death of this passenger has yet to be confirmed, it is pointless to speculate whether any piece of medical equipment could or would have averted this tragedy. All of our thoughts and prayers remain with the friends and family of the deceased."
The spokeswoman added that all Ryanair staff were trained in CPR.
The Irish Aviation Authority said it would respond to the nurses about the concerns they had raised. "But it's a medical matter and it's not really an aviation matter to be investigated," a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, a Ryanair flight from London to Derry was forced to turn back last night after the captain collapsed with suspected food poisoning.
Passengers say they were around 15 minutes from Derry when the announcement was made and the plane was turning back to Stansted Airport.
The passengers were put on another flight.
Michael Brennan