According to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, deaths due to in-flight medical emergencies are extremely rare.

Why is this the case? The researchers discovered that physician passengers helped the crew handle 50 percent of in-flight medical emergencies. In fact, most of the problems were handled jointly by physician passengers, flight attendants and the ground-based consulting physicians. The researchers found that physicians, nurses and other medical professional on planes helped treat sick fellow passengers in 75 percent of the in-flight medical calls studied.

The researchers examined records of in-flight medical calls from several domestic and international airlines to UPMC’s STAT-MD, which is a 24-hour physician-led medical command center that handles in-flight medical calls from flight crews. They examined records from January 1, 2008, through October 31, 2010. During this time, the STAT-MD received nearly 12,000 in-flight medical calls. The most frequently reported emergency was fainting or near-fainting, respiratory problems or cardiac symptoms.

According to the researchers, physician passengers helped the flight crews in about 50 percent of those in-flight medical calls. Nurses and EMTs helped the flight crews in another 28 percent of the in-flight medical calls and flights landed at different destination because of the medical emergencies as a result of 7.3 percent of the in-flight medical calls.

After carefully studying data from about 11,000 patients, the researchers found that 25.8 percent were transported to a nearby hospital after landing; 8.8 percent were admitted to the hospital, and only 0.3 percent of patients died on board the plane or while being transported to the hospital.

The researchers concluded that the majority of in-flight medical calls can be dealt with by the flight crew and medical volunteers. With the help of ground-based consulting physicians, who help the flight crew use the onboard medical kit and advise the pilot when to divert the plane to a different location, most in-flight medical emergencies are not life-threatening.

The researchers suggests that physicians and other medical professionals learn about the resources available to them on a cramped plane in case they ever have to assist with an in-flight medical emergency.

The study’s results are examined more closely in the New England Journal of Medicine.