A doctor and nurse on board an El Al flight from Israel to London treated a British passenger who suffered an allergic reaction and saved his life.
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The passenger boarded the flight without his epinephrine injector and experienced an allergic reaction after consuming fish. Shortly after takeoff, he began showing signs of an allergic reaction. "It was a very stressful situation," recounts nurse Ruti Orlevitz. "Usually, in cases of allergic episodes, things deteriorate rapidly without an epinephrine injector. Every second is critical."
"During the flight, I got up to go to the restroom and saw someone speaking English who said he wasn't feeling well. I approached him, and he seemed to be struggling," Orlevitz described. "I went to get his epinephrine, and when I returned, I saw that he was all red, having difficulty breathing, with swelling in his neck and face. Within a short time, I diagnosed him with an allergic attack. The flight attendant asked if there was a doctor on board."
Dr. Jacob Segal, a gynecologist who was on the flight, responded to the call. "I got up and saw a person inside the galley area, where the flight attendants sit. He had difficulty breathing with noticeable redness, mild tongue swelling, and other symptoms. He was known to be allergic, but he forgot his epinephrine injector. Very quickly, we connected him to oxygen and began administering adrenaline treatment."
"We assessed the available equipment on the plane and immediately began life-saving treatment with it. Initially, we weren't sure if an emergency landing was necessary, but we started with the equipment we had. He was monitored throughout the flight, and we were by his side the whole time. Only towards the end of the flight, after four hours, did his condition stabilize. We promptly prepared his medications for him to take after landing. His young daughter also has an epinephrine injector as she is also allergic, but since she wasn't traveling with the family, he didn't have his injector with him."
Dr. Segal recounts that the passenger received oxygen throughout the entire flight. "We monitored him. I checked his heart and lungs, and we didn't need to delve into anything much more complicated. He didn't require intubation. We monitored him and provided fluids. Throughout the flight, we were by his side, and we saw his condition improving. We decided that there was no need to land the plane and continued. When we landed, he was transferred to medical care in London."
A few days later, the passenger came to meet Nurse Orlevitz in London. "He brought a gift and thanked me for saving his life. It was very moving. If we hadn't been on the plane, there would have been a need for an emergency landing. He could have died within seconds."