Narrative:

1/3 into flight the 'a' flight attendant notified flight crew of passenger needing medical attention. A physician was located and assisted. Contacted medical via dispatcher. Lengthy delay when connected with medical. Communication was impossible due to medical's congestion. Had to relay from physician to flight attendant to dispatcher to medical and vice versa (bad system). We need to have phones on aircraft, so we can concentrate on flying the aircraft. In talking to physician, passenger was not in serious danger, so we continued to birmingham. Apparently passenger was having an anxiety attack. Had paramedics meet aircraft in bhm. I was not aware that passenger oxygen bottle was used and emk seal was broken. I assumed that the passenger was not in serious danger and would be ok. I was told by the 'a' flight attendant that she told us briefly what they were using to assist the passenger, but I never heard it through the chaos of the radio communication relay with medical. I may have turned down the volume as they tried (unsuccessfully) to communicate to medical via their connection in the back. We were monitoring aircraft and ATC. I became aware of passenger oxygen bottle use and emk seal break in tampa (the next leg) and wrote up its use in tpa. The flight attendant assumed through the chaos with the communication to medical that I was aware of their use. I was not until tpa or would have used the appropriate MEL procedures. We spent our time focusing on flying the aircraft and helping the passenger the best we could. In my opinion the current setup with communications with medical (no phones) is a bad situation along with the difficulty in easy access for flight attendants to enter the cockpit (face time). There is a lot lost in translation from front to back. None of the contents of the emk was used, only opened and ready for use. The passenger oxygen bottle was 1100 psi. The flight attendant assumed because of back company maintenance in bhm that it was not an issue and did not press it as it would be taken care of in tpa.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER REMOVING AN ILL PAX FROM THE FLT IN BHM, FLC CONTINUES FLT TO NEXT DEST ARPT WITHOUT BEING AWARE THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD OPENED THE EMK AND USED SOME OXYGEN FROM THE POB (PAX OXYGEN BOTTLE) ON THE WAY INTO BHM, AL.

Narrative: 1/3 INTO FLT THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED FLC OF PAX NEEDING MEDICAL ATTN. A PHYSICIAN WAS LOCATED AND ASSISTED. CONTACTED MEDICAL VIA DISPATCHER. LENGTHY DELAY WHEN CONNECTED WITH MEDICAL. COM WAS IMPOSSIBLE DUE TO MEDICAL'S CONGESTION. HAD TO RELAY FROM PHYSICIAN TO FLT ATTENDANT TO DISPATCHER TO MEDICAL AND VICE VERSA (BAD SYS). WE NEED TO HAVE PHONES ON ACFT, SO WE CAN CONCENTRATE ON FLYING THE ACFT. IN TALKING TO PHYSICIAN, PAX WAS NOT IN SERIOUS DANGER, SO WE CONTINUED TO BIRMINGHAM. APPARENTLY PAX WAS HAVING AN ANXIETY ATTACK. HAD PARAMEDICS MEET ACFT IN BHM. I WAS NOT AWARE THAT PAX OXYGEN BOTTLE WAS USED AND EMK SEAL WAS BROKEN. I ASSUMED THAT THE PAX WAS NOT IN SERIOUS DANGER AND WOULD BE OK. I WAS TOLD BY THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT THAT SHE TOLD US BRIEFLY WHAT THEY WERE USING TO ASSIST THE PAX, BUT I NEVER HEARD IT THROUGH THE CHAOS OF THE RADIO COM RELAY WITH MEDICAL. I MAY HAVE TURNED DOWN THE VOLUME AS THEY TRIED (UNSUCCESSFULLY) TO COMMUNICATE TO MEDICAL VIA THEIR CONNECTION IN THE BACK. WE WERE MONITORING ACFT AND ATC. I BECAME AWARE OF PAX OXYGEN BOTTLE USE AND EMK SEAL BREAK IN TAMPA (THE NEXT LEG) AND WROTE UP ITS USE IN TPA. THE FLT ATTENDANT ASSUMED THROUGH THE CHAOS WITH THE COM TO MEDICAL THAT I WAS AWARE OF THEIR USE. I WAS NOT UNTIL TPA OR WOULD HAVE USED THE APPROPRIATE MEL PROCS. WE SPENT OUR TIME FOCUSING ON FLYING THE ACFT AND HELPING THE PAX THE BEST WE COULD. IN MY OPINION THE CURRENT SETUP WITH COMS WITH MEDICAL (NO PHONES) IS A BAD SIT ALONG WITH THE DIFFICULTY IN EASY ACCESS FOR FLT ATTENDANTS TO ENTER THE COCKPIT (FACE TIME). THERE IS A LOT LOST IN TRANSLATION FROM FRONT TO BACK. NONE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE EMK WAS USED, ONLY OPENED AND READY FOR USE. THE PAX OXYGEN BOTTLE WAS 1100 PSI. THE FLT ATTENDANT ASSUMED BECAUSE OF BACK COMPANY MAINT IN BHM THAT IT WAS NOT AN ISSUE AND DID NOT PRESS IT AS IT WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF IN TPA.

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.