American Airlines Hails Locum Tenens Doctor For Treating Passenger
Flying in today’s modern world is stressful. For one passenger in particular, a recent American Airlines flight turned into a nightmare due to a potentially life-threatening situation. Thankfully, a physician who has worked for Western Healthcare at multiple locations during the pandemic and within Indian Health Services was on board, and courageously jumped in to treat the patient.
Dr. Joy Harrison, an Emergency Medicine Physician with 30 years of experience in the ER, travels every other week for her locum tenens assignments. Last month, Dr. Harrison was en route to her next shift in Albuquerque, New Mexico on a connecting flight through Dallas, Texas when a routine flight called for her medical expertise.
Roughly one hour into the flight, a flight attendant asked if there was a doctor onboard. Without hesitation, Dr. Harrison immediately jumped out of her seat. She was led to the back of the plane to find a man in his mid-thirties that appeared to be in a daze with glassy eyes and heavily sweating.
“He truly looked sick, and his eyes were very glossy,” said Dr. Harrison. “It was clear the passenger was not in a normal medical state by any means.”
Upon first impressions, Dr. Harrison originally thought the man was experiencing initial stages of toxicity, which if not treated immediately, can become lethal.
“I checked his heartrate, which was approximately 105 – not critically high, but still high. This was a minor concern of mine because there are multiple factors that could have made his pulse this high such as being thousands of feet in the air,” she added.
After completing his vitals and a thorough examination, she concluded the man was not toxic. He was most likely diabetic or pre-diabetic, and suffering from hypoglycemia – a serious medical condition causing extremely low glucose or low sugar in the blood without notice. Hypoglycemia symptoms include sweating, fatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations, and confusion.
Although hypoglycemia was presumably the culprit, there was no way to measure glucose in the passenger’s blood, so Dr. Harrison had to rely on her three decades of ER experience and determine the best treatment option available without proper medical equipment. Dr. Harrison quickly asked the flight attendant to bring orange juice (which is high in glucose) and carefully administered it to the passenger. His symptoms lessened within 15 minutes and he appeared to feel better.
“The glassy eyes he had before slowly disappeared, and essentially he became his normal self again,” she said.
Dr. Harrison checked on the passenger periodically for the remainder of the flight knowing that, while the orange juice was highly effective, it was only temporary. She encouraged the passenger to visit his PCP, and to inquire about a treatment plan to combat future hypoglycemia symptoms.
Because of Dr. Harrison’s bravery and holding true to the Hippocratic Oath she took thirty years earlier, American Airlines personally contacted her to thank her for treating the passenger while in air:
“On behalf of American Airlines, please accept our company’s formal thank you for the assistance you provided aboard flight 564 on July 21, 2022. We are all grateful that you were on board and freely offered your medical expertise when it was needed most. Dr. Harrison, without a doubt, you greatly improved a difficult situation.”
Dr. Harrison has proven that she will help any person anywhere in need of medical attention, whether they come into her ER or are flying the friendly skies. Her voluntary act of kindness and compassion sets the bar for what present and future medical professionals should always strive to be. Alongside American Airlines, Western Healthcare applauds Dr. Harrison for her hasty and thorough treatment of a passenger in distress, and is proud to work with such a thoughtful, talented, and dedicated physician. THANK YOU from all of us at Western Healthcare!
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