Narrative:

ATC facility: ZFW. Location: 15 NM north of sat, en route. During boarding, the #1 flight attendant came up to the cockpit, concerned about the health of one of our passenger. The passenger was around 20 yrs old and was a post-operative patient that had been operated on 4 days before. The passenger had visible stitches and bruising around the nose, facial swelling, and had trouble boarding the airplane. The 31 flight attendant said that the passenger also had had facial, chest and abdominal cosmetic surgery. The gdl station manager came out to the plane and told both the #1 flight attendant and myself that station personnel had the passenger checked out by a medical doctor at the airport and the passenger was ok to travel. Shortly after departure, the passenger rang the call button and asked the flight attendant for their bag to get medication and wanted to know how much longer the flight would be. We found out alter that the passenger took 2 keflex (antibiotic). En route, as we were passing over sat (14 mi north) the #1 flight attendant called the cockpit and said that the passenger was having difficulty breathing and was having pain in the face, breast and abdomen. The flight attendants were administering oxygen and I asked the #1 flight attendant to make a passenger requesting the assistance of any medical doctors on board. A passenger, dr X (an anesthesiologist), came forward to assist. The flight attendants opened the medical kit and the doctor took the passenger's pulse and blood pressure. Meanwhile, we had already declared a medical emergency and started a descent for aus, given the breathing difficulty and previous surgery. The doctor reported an elevated pulse 120-122 and blood pressure 105/75. The doctor stated that the passenger was in distress and we should land as soon as possible (as translated by the #1 flight attendant). We were approximately 55 mi south of aus at the time of the divert and landed about 15 mins later. The first officer called ahead to aus and they had emt personnel waiting. The emt's checked the passenger but the passenger refused to deplane. The passenger said that they were feeling better and wished to continue to dfw. I requested that the passenger deplane the aircraft to seek medical attention and that we would accommodate them after a medical check-up. The passenger deplaned and we departed shortly after.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DIVERSION TO AUS ARPT REQUIRED FOR DEPLANING AN ILL PAX THAT HAD EMBARKED AT MMGL, FO.

Narrative: ATC FACILITY: ZFW. LOCATION: 15 NM N OF SAT, ENRTE. DURING BOARDING, THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP TO THE COCKPIT, CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH OF ONE OF OUR PAX. THE PAX WAS AROUND 20 YRS OLD AND WAS A POST-OPERATIVE PATIENT THAT HAD BEEN OPERATED ON 4 DAYS BEFORE. THE PAX HAD VISIBLE STITCHES AND BRUISING AROUND THE NOSE, FACIAL SWELLING, AND HAD TROUBLE BOARDING THE AIRPLANE. THE 31 FLT ATTENDANT SAID THAT THE PAX ALSO HAD HAD FACIAL, CHEST AND ABDOMINAL COSMETIC SURGERY. THE GDL STATION MGR CAME OUT TO THE PLANE AND TOLD BOTH THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT AND MYSELF THAT STATION PERSONNEL HAD THE PAX CHKED OUT BY A MEDICAL DOCTOR AT THE ARPT AND THE PAX WAS OK TO TRAVEL. SHORTLY AFTER DEP, THE PAX RANG THE CALL BUTTON AND ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT FOR THEIR BAG TO GET MEDICATION AND WANTED TO KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER THE FLT WOULD BE. WE FOUND OUT ALTER THAT THE PAX TOOK 2 KEFLEX (ANTIBIOTIC). ENRTE, AS WE WERE PASSING OVER SAT (14 MI N) THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT AND SAID THAT THE PAX WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING AND WAS HAVING PAIN IN THE FACE, BREAST AND ABDOMEN. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE ADMINISTERING OXYGEN AND I ASKED THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO MAKE A PAX REQUESTING THE ASSISTANCE OF ANY MEDICAL DOCTORS ON BOARD. A PAX, DR X (AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST), CAME FORWARD TO ASSIST. THE FLT ATTENDANTS OPENED THE MEDICAL KIT AND THE DOCTOR TOOK THE PAX'S PULSE AND BLOOD PRESSURE. MEANWHILE, WE HAD ALREADY DECLARED A MEDICAL EMER AND STARTED A DSCNT FOR AUS, GIVEN THE BREATHING DIFFICULTY AND PREVIOUS SURGERY. THE DOCTOR RPTED AN ELEVATED PULSE 120-122 AND BLOOD PRESSURE 105/75. THE DOCTOR STATED THAT THE PAX WAS IN DISTRESS AND WE SHOULD LAND ASAP (AS TRANSLATED BY THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT). WE WERE APPROX 55 MI S OF AUS AT THE TIME OF THE DIVERT AND LANDED ABOUT 15 MINS LATER. THE FO CALLED AHEAD TO AUS AND THEY HAD EMT PERSONNEL WAITING. THE EMT'S CHKED THE PAX BUT THE PAX REFUSED TO DEPLANE. THE PAX SAID THAT THEY WERE FEELING BETTER AND WISHED TO CONTINUE TO DFW. I REQUESTED THAT THE PAX DEPLANE THE ACFT TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTN AND THAT WE WOULD ACCOMMODATE THEM AFTER A MEDICAL CHK-UP. THE PAX DEPLANED AND WE DEPARTED SHORTLY AFTER.

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.