Narrative:

At approximately XA53Z on oct/xa/00, the lead flight attendant entered the cockpit and announced that we had a medical emergency. We subsequently asked questions to assess the condition of the passenger. Her report was that the passenger was unconscious, not breathing, no pulse and that cpr was being administered by a physician. I began a rapid descent while coordinating emergency handling with ATC evaluating our position and the nearest suitable airport. Cid was determined to be the closest and an approach was initiated to runway 9. The crew followed known approved procedures, and the landing and removal of the now resuscitated passenger occurred without incident. The cabin door was opened at XA06Z and the passenger was deplaned. We were redispatched from cid to msp as flight XXX after completing the required paperwork and servicing. It would be of assistance to the flight crew if there were an established system of evaluating high risk passenger, prior to the boarding process. The passenger was boarded using oxygen. Possibly there was something in his medical history that would have indicated flying was not a wise choice, and the captain needs the authority/authorized to deny boarding. Since emergencys are unusual circumstances, and a certain amount of confusion exists, it would be useful to the flight crew to have a checklist after the emergency has concluded, to return the aircraft to an airworthy state before the next departure. The checklist could cover things like: were limitations exceeded? Was there an overweight landing? Is a maintenance inspection required? Does the medical kit or oxygen need replacement? Did you land at an approved airport? Etc. In our case, we believe we complied with all regulations and company procedures supplemental information from acn 490715: we were flying a scheduled flight from atl-msp when I turned the airplane over to the first officer and told ATC we had a medical emergency and we needed to start down. I tried unsuccessfully to get a hold of dispatch. We decided to divert to cedar rapids, ia. This particular airplane we were flying had had an inoperative antiskid, so that increased our workload on decoding which airport to use and finding our landing performance data. We had to borrow another emergency medical kit from another airline in order to be redispatched to msp. We discussed this with dispatch and maintenance. The contents of both kits were compared and met MEL requirements.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE PLT RPT, B727, ATL-MSP. ILL PAX. PAX ND INTERVENED, DIVERT T CID. PAX TAKEN TO HOSPITAL. CAPT UNABLE TO GET A HOLD OF DISPATCH FOR DIVERSION.

Narrative: AT APPROX XA53Z ON OCT/XA/00, THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND ANNOUNCED THAT WE HAD A MEDICAL EMER. WE SUBSEQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS TO ASSESS THE CONDITION OF THE PAX. HER RPT WAS THAT THE PAX WAS UNCONSCIOUS, NOT BREATHING, NO PULSE AND THAT CPR WAS BEING ADMINISTERED BY A PHYSICIAN. I BEGAN A RAPID DSCNT WHILE COORDINATING EMER HANDLING WITH ATC EVALUATING OUR POS AND THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT. CID WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE CLOSEST AND AN APCH WAS INITIATED TO RWY 9. THE CREW FOLLOWED KNOWN APPROVED PROCS, AND THE LNDG AND REMOVAL OF THE NOW RESUSCITATED PAX OCCURRED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CABIN DOOR WAS OPENED AT XA06Z AND THE PAX WAS DEPLANED. WE WERE REDISPATCHED FROM CID TO MSP AS FLT XXX AFTER COMPLETING THE REQUIRED PAPERWORK AND SVCING. IT WOULD BE OF ASSISTANCE TO THE FLC IF THERE WERE AN ESTABLISHED SYS OF EVALUATING HIGH RISK PAX, PRIOR TO THE BOARDING PROCESS. THE PAX WAS BOARDED USING OXYGEN. POSSIBLY THERE WAS SOMETHING IN HIS MEDICAL HISTORY THAT WOULD HAVE INDICATED FLYING WAS NOT A WISE CHOICE, AND THE CAPT NEEDS THE AUTH TO DENY BOARDING. SINCE EMERS ARE UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES, AND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CONFUSION EXISTS, IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO THE FLC TO HAVE A CHKLIST AFTER THE EMER HAS CONCLUDED, TO RETURN THE ACFT TO AN AIRWORTHY STATE BEFORE THE NEXT DEP. THE CHKLIST COULD COVER THINGS LIKE: WERE LIMITATIONS EXCEEDED? WAS THERE AN OVERWT LNDG? IS A MAINT INSPECTION REQUIRED? DOES THE MEDICAL KIT OR OXYGEN NEED REPLACEMENT? DID YOU LAND AT AN APPROVED ARPT? ETC. IN OUR CASE, WE BELIEVE WE COMPLIED WITH ALL REGS AND COMPANY PROCS SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 490715: WE WERE FLYING A SCHEDULED FLT FROM ATL-MSP WHEN I TURNED THE AIRPLANE OVER TO THE FO AND TOLD ATC WE HAD A MEDICAL EMER AND WE NEEDED TO START DOWN. I TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO GET A HOLD OF DISPATCH. WE DECIDED TO DIVERT TO CEDAR RAPIDS, IA. THIS PARTICULAR AIRPLANE WE WERE FLYING HAD HAD AN INOP ANTISKID, SO THAT INCREASED OUR WORKLOAD ON DECODING WHICH ARPT TO USE AND FINDING OUR LNDG PERFORMANCE DATA. WE HAD TO BORROW ANOTHER EMER MEDICAL KIT FROM ANOTHER AIRLINE IN ORDER TO BE REDISPATCHED TO MSP. WE DISCUSSED THIS WITH DISPATCH AND MAINT. THE CONTENTS OF BOTH KITS WERE COMPARED AND MET MEL REQUIREMENTS.

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.