Narrative:

Took a walk through main cabin and noticed a passenger in his 80's looked extremely pale, almost gray, appearing to fall asleep by leaning into the aisle. I immediately touched his shoulder and asked, 'sir, are you ok?' he responded, 'yes, I just fell asleep.' I told the main cabin flight attendants, the #2 and the #4, that we had a passenger who appeared to look very sick. They said they had noticed his pale/gray color and had been keeping an eye on him. We took the oxygen out of the brackets, the automatic external defibrillator, the medical kit and our grab-and-go kit as a precautionary step, in case he deteriorated into unconsciousness. Within mins, he lost consciousness, but was breathing. We administered oxygen and called over our PA system for a physician. None were on board, so we called for a nurse. The passenger was upright, in a slouching position with oxygen and appeared to be regaining consciousness rather quickly. He had taken a nitroglycerin pill, which had markedly improved his condition. Just before he had lost consciousness, he had been coherent enough to tell the #2 that he had heart surgery 2 weeks before. With that information, and his brief loss of consciousness, the #2 flight attendant told the captain that we should land as soon as possible and have paramedics meet the plane. The captain immediately (within 10 mins) put the plane down at yuma AFB, where paramedics boarded. The paramedics did an ekg on the passenger and ascertained that he was in atricular fibrillation. He walked off the plane with the paramedics to have more testing done at a local hospital. Had mr X gone into ventricular fibrillation, we would have had to use our automatic external defibrillator. I believe all carriers should be required to have automatic external defibrillators on board. In the last 2 yrs it has saved 9 lives at air carrier.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, MD80, DFW-SAN. PAX HAD HEART PROBS. DIVERT TO YUMA AFB FOR PAX TO BE HOSPITALIZED.

Narrative: TOOK A WALK THROUGH MAIN CABIN AND NOTICED A PAX IN HIS 80'S LOOKED EXTREMELY PALE, ALMOST GRAY, APPEARING TO FALL ASLEEP BY LEANING INTO THE AISLE. I IMMEDIATELY TOUCHED HIS SHOULDER AND ASKED, 'SIR, ARE YOU OK?' HE RESPONDED, 'YES, I JUST FELL ASLEEP.' I TOLD THE MAIN CABIN FLT ATTENDANTS, THE #2 AND THE #4, THAT WE HAD A PAX WHO APPEARED TO LOOK VERY SICK. THEY SAID THEY HAD NOTICED HIS PALE/GRAY COLOR AND HAD BEEN KEEPING AN EYE ON HIM. WE TOOK THE OXYGEN OUT OF THE BRACKETS, THE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR, THE MEDICAL KIT AND OUR GRAB-AND-GO KIT AS A PRECAUTIONARY STEP, IN CASE HE DETERIORATED INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS. WITHIN MINS, HE LOST CONSCIOUSNESS, BUT WAS BREATHING. WE ADMINISTERED OXYGEN AND CALLED OVER OUR PA SYS FOR A PHYSICIAN. NONE WERE ON BOARD, SO WE CALLED FOR A NURSE. THE PAX WAS UPRIGHT, IN A SLOUCHING POS WITH OXYGEN AND APPEARED TO BE REGAINING CONSCIOUSNESS RATHER QUICKLY. HE HAD TAKEN A NITROGLYCERIN PILL, WHICH HAD MARKEDLY IMPROVED HIS CONDITION. JUST BEFORE HE HAD LOST CONSCIOUSNESS, HE HAD BEEN COHERENT ENOUGH TO TELL THE #2 THAT HE HAD HEART SURGERY 2 WKS BEFORE. WITH THAT INFO, AND HIS BRIEF LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS, THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD THE CAPT THAT WE SHOULD LAND ASAP AND HAVE PARAMEDICS MEET THE PLANE. THE CAPT IMMEDIATELY (WITHIN 10 MINS) PUT THE PLANE DOWN AT YUMA AFB, WHERE PARAMEDICS BOARDED. THE PARAMEDICS DID AN EKG ON THE PAX AND ASCERTAINED THAT HE WAS IN ATRICULAR FIBRILLATION. HE WALKED OFF THE PLANE WITH THE PARAMEDICS TO HAVE MORE TESTING DONE AT A LCL HOSPITAL. HAD MR X GONE INTO VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION, WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO USE OUR AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR. I BELIEVE ALL CARRIERS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO HAVE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS ON BOARD. IN THE LAST 2 YRS IT HAS SAVED 9 LIVES AT ACR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.