Ask the Captain: What medical equipment do planes carry?

Question: On long international flights, are airplanes required to have a doctor and hospital equipment on board?

-- Submitted by reader Alex D., Anchorage

Answer: No, there is not a requirement for a doctor. Flight attendants are trained in first aid, and there are medical kits on board. In addition, often there are special kits for use by medical professionals if necessary. For every medical problem on flights I piloted, we found that there was a doctor, nurse or EMT on board to assist the passenger.

Q: What medical equipment do airlines carry for emergencies?

-- Kevin H., Tracy, Minn.

A: There is a basic first-aid kit, an enhanced first-aid kit and an automatic defibrillator on board most airline flights. Supplemental oxygen is also available.

Q: I know defibrillators are on board commercial aircraft. How about IV bags and the like?

-- Steve Donnelly, Cape Canaveral, Fla.

A: Many airplanes have certain IVs available in the emergency medical kit for use by licensed medical professionals when treating an on-board medical emergency. In that kit are some other medications, but the exact contents I do not know.

Q: My wife travels with an FAA oxygen concentrator. About an hour into one flight, the machine stopped working. We asked the flight attendant if there was oxygen on board. We were brought a small cylinder that lasted about 45 minutes. When we asked for another, we were told that the additional oxygen cylinders were needed for the airplane's crew should there be an emergency. I can understand that, but should there be a cylinder set aside in case of patient emergencies that can last the duration of the flight? We were told that they would have to declare a medical emergency and land at the nearest airport if my wife continued to request oxygen.

-- Jeff, Falls Church, Va.

A: It is difficult to answer your question without more information. The flight attendants know the number of oxygen cylinders and what their airline's requirements are. The required number of oxygen cylinders is mandated by FAA regulation. As to the comment about declaring a medical emergency, it would depend on the circumstance, and without more information it is not possible to know. Pilots take the medical condition of passengers very seriously; often they have special doctors available via radio to help determine the best course of action. No two situations are the same, and I would not second-guess the flight attendants or the captain.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.