MATTERS OF THE HEART

AROUND VALENTINE’S DAY, many of us find ourselves focusing on matters of the heart. This month, I’d like to take the opportunity to focus on the heart, literally, and how the efforts of the aviation industry — and the actions of our flight attendants in particular — have helped prevent deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). According to the American Heart Association, more than 325,000 people, many of them seemingly healthy, die from SCA each year in the U.S.

Fortunately, cardiac arrest is reversible in most victims if treated within minutes. Treatment is most effective when cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — an emergency procedure that can help a person whose heart has stopped or is no longer breathing — and an electrical shock is delivered through an automated external defibrillator (AED). Time between collapse and defibrillation is a key indicator of survival, so early defibrillation with an AED is crucial.

An AED is a small, portable computerized device that analyzes heart rhythms and tells the operator, through computerized voice instructions, when to push a button to deliver a potentially lifesaving electrical shock to the victim. AEDs are safe, effective, and easy to use.

As research in the late 1990s began to show how critical a role early defibrillation played in survival rates, the airline industry took a leadership role and began equipping aircraft with AEDs. Today, all US Airways and US Airways Express aircraft are equipped with these potentially lifesaving devices, and US Airways and US Airways Express flight attendants are trained (and go through regular, recurring training) on how to operate the equipment and how to perform CPR.

Recently, a US Airways crew helped save the life of a 27-year-old man who collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest on a cross-country flight. Flight attendants Susan Moorehead, Selena McArthur, Maria Leuis, and Christine James worked together to help assess the situation and communicate it to Captain Steven Kisken and First Officer Timothy Masem. With the assistance of a medical professional who was a passenger on that flight, these flight attendants used an AED to administer a lifesaving electrical shock to the man, who was taken to the hospital as soon as his flight landed. That young man survived, thanks to the actions of the crew and the passenger.

So, as you fly with US today, remember that you might be in the presence of a hero, and don’t forget to thank the men and women who work hard to ensure your safety and comfort during your flight.

On behalf of the more than 36,000 employees of US Airways, thank you for flying with us today. We hope to see you again soon.

Doug Parker
Chairman and CEO
US Airways

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association is singularly dedicated to preventing loss of life from sudden cardiac arrest. To learn more, visit their Web site at suddencardiacarrest.org.