On Thursday, Nov. 12, Dr. Brent Wyatt, Medical Director of Complete Care’s Brooks City Base facility, helped to save a man who went into cardiac arrest on a flight from Orlando to San Antonio.

Dr. Wyatt and several other medical professionals were on the plane, returning home from a medical convention. An older man was late to the plane and rushed to board at the last minute, finding his seat a few rows behind Dr. Wyatt. Shortly thereafter, as the plane was taxiing to the runway for takeoff, the man slumped forward in his seat and was unresponsive.

After he heard fellow passengers call for help, Dr. Wyatt reached the man to assess his condition and found he had no pulse. He and several other physicians and nurses acted quickly, working together in much the same manner as if they were in an emergency room. They lowered the man to the aisle of the plane and a registered nurse began CPR.

Dr. Wyatt obtained an automatic external defibrillator (AED) from a flight attendant, opened it and passed the pads to the nurse, who then placed them on the patient. Another medical professional helped provide ventilation to the man through the use of an oral airway device.

After a single shock with the AED, the man’s heart rhythm was restored. He soon began to breathe on his own and his pulse returned. He gradually became more alert over the next few minutes, and by the time paramedics arrived he as fully awake and answering questions. Passengers cheered and offered prayers and well wishes to the man as he was taken from the plane and transported to a local hospital.

“It was an honor to have been part of such an amazing team effort with representatives of multiple hospitals and disciplines coming together to help save this man’s life,” Dr. Wyatt said. “To take the skill set we use everyday in the emergency department out into the community and be able to apply it in this critical situation was truly a highlight of my career as an emergency physician.”