TO A CARDIOLOGY CONFERENCE ON
THE PLANE.
BUT IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING ANY
OF US COULD HAVE DONE THAT SAVED
HER LIFE.
>> Reporter: IT WAS SUPPOSED TO
BE A BACCALAUREATE WEEKEND IN
ARIZONA.
>> WE WERE REALLY LOOKING
FORWARD IT.
>> Reporter: BUT NONE OF THEM
COULD HAVE PREDICTED WHAT WOULD
HAPPEN IN THE AIR.
>> I CLOSED MY EYES AND WENT TO
SLEEP AND THAT IS THE LAST THING
I REMEMBER UNTIL I WOKE UP AND I WAS LIKE, IN A STRETCHER BY THE
WAS LIKE, IN A STRETCHER BY THE
PLANE GOING INTO AN AMBULANCE.
>> SHE
>>.
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN NEWARK AND
PHOENIX HER HEART STOPPED.
LUCKILY THE DOCTOR WAS ON HIS
WAY TO A CARDIOLOGY CONFERENCE
WHEN HE HEARD HER FRIEND SCREAM.
>> I FOUND THIS PERSON WAS
COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE.
IMMEDIATELY CHECKED A PULSE.
THERE WAS NO CAROTID PULLS.
NO RADIAL PULLS AS WELL.
AT THIS PINT I'M THINKING MAYBE
SHE'S HAVING A CARDIAC ARREST.
>> HIS WIFE WHO IS ALSO A DOCTOR
SPRUNG INTO ACTION.
HE STARTED CPR.
>> ABOUT 90 SECONDS IN SHE
STARTED MOVING.
THERE WAS A PULSE.
IT WAS GREAT.
>> THE PLANE DIVERTED TO
OKLAHOMA CITY.
THE DOCTOR'S WIFE HOLDING
BRITTANY'S HAND.
>> JUST A LITTLE FLASH OF
LOOKING OVER ON THE PLANE AND
SEEING A LADY THAT WASN'T MY
FRIEND LIKE HOLDING MY HAND.
>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO THE
DOCTOR, CARDIAC ARREST CAN
HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
BUT BRITTANY'S CASE IS UNUSUAL.
8% OF CASES OCCUR IN PEOPLE
UNDER 40.
WITHOUT EARLY INTERVENTION, UP
TO 90% OF PATIENTS DIE BEFORE
EVER REACHING THE HOSPITAL.
>> WHERE WOULD YOU BE IF HE
HASN'T BEEN ON THAT PLANE.
>> I WOULDN'T BE HERE.
I GOT LUCKY THERE WAS MULTIPLE CARDIOLOGISTS ON BOARD.
CARDIOLOGISTS ON BOARD.
AT THE END OF THE DAY ANYONE WHO
KNEW CPR COULD HAVE HELPED.
>> >> Reporter: AND DETERMINED
TO MAKE SURE SHE'S READY IF IT
HAPPENS TO ANYONE ELSE.
>> CPR IS WHAT SAVED MY LIFE.
SO I DEFINITELY JUST WANT TO
HAVE, DISEASE AEST QUICK SKILL
TO LEARN.
>> BRITTANY AND HER FRIENDS ARE
SIGNING UP FOR A CLASS TOGETHER
KNOWING JUST HOW IMPORTANT CPR IS, GUYS.
IS, GUYS.
>> THANK YOU KRISTEN.
>>> HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE SOURCE
OF THE INCIDENT WAS?
>> I'M FEELING GOOD.
EVER SINCE WHAT HAPPENED I
ALWAYS FELT FINE.
I HAD SOME CHEST SORENESS.
THEY SAY CPR IS TOLLING ON YOUR
BODY.
BUT I FEEL GREAT.
AND YEAH.
>> YOU'RE STILL WAITING TO FIND
OUT.
JUST RUN THROUGH ALL THE TESTS
AND STILL TRYING TO FIEG IROUT
IT.
>> GOING TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT
DOCTORS.
LAST WEEK A NEUROLOGIST AND A
WHOLE BRAN SCAN AND MRI STILL
AND EVERYTHING THEY SAID HAS
BEEN COMING BACK PRETTY NORMAL
SO WE'RE STILL NOT SURE WHAT IT
COULD BE.
>> WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN YOU
CAME TO AND REALIZED THIS HAD HAPPENED TO YOU?
HAPPENED TO YOU?
YOU ARE A YOUNG WOMAN, HAVING
CARDIAC ARREST 5,00035,000 FEET.
IT IS ASTONISHING.
>> SO CRAZY.
THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER IS
LIKE TAKING A NAP RIGHT BEFORE
THE FLIGHT.
AND THEN I WOKE UP AND I WAS IN
A STRETCHER GOING INTO A AN
AMBULANCE AND MY FRIEND IS
TELLING ME HEY WE HAD TO STOP
THE FLIGHT IN OKLAHOMA AND WE'RE
GOING TO THE HOSPITAL.
AND I WAS LIKE THIS IS A
AGREEMENT.DREAM.
I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT
HAPPENED.
>> THE IDEA THERE WERE DOCTORS
ON BOARD, DOCTORS WHO WERE ON
THE WAY TO A CONFERENCE.
>> ACOLOGIST.
>> AND A CARDIOLOGIST WHO
HAPPENS TO BE HERE WITH US
TODAY.
YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN PERSON
SINCE IT HAPPENED.
SO WE WANT TO BRING OUT DR. CO-
CHODRY.
HOW ARE YOU?
>> WE'D ALL BE HUGGING YOU --
>> THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
ALWAYS THAT IDEA THAT THEY ARE
GOING TO SAY OVER THE LOUD
SPEAKER WE NEED DOCTORS.
HOW DID YOU FIRST COME TO
REALIZE THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY
ON BOARD?
>> TWO HOURS INTO THE FLIGHT
TRYING TO TAKE A NAP AND SCREAMS
FROM THE BACK.
AND I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I
THINK THERE IS AN EMERGENCY AND
15 SECONDS LATER THERE WAS AN
EMERGENCY OF AN OVERHEAD
EMERGENCY.
WE RAN TO THE SEAT AND WE FOUND
BRITTANY SLUMPED OVER
UNRESPONSIVE, NO PULSE AT ALL.
AND SOMETIMES YOU CAN HAVE
DIFFICULTY IN ASSESSING A PULSE
WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING OR
STANDING.
SO WE LAID HER ONTO THE ISLAND
AND CHECKED HER PULSE AGAIN AND
THERE WAS NO PULSE SO WE KNEW
SHE WAS HAVING A CARDIAC ARREST.
>> HOW MUCH TIME DID IT TAKE TO
REVIVE HER.
>> I IT TOOK ABOUT NINETY
SECONDS.
WE WERE NOT KEEPING TIME BUT
ROUGHLY SO.
EVERY TWO MINUTES WE'RE TRAINED
TO SWITCH CPR.
MY WIFE RUS READY TOO TAKE OVER
WHEN SHE STARTED MOVING.
>> YOUR WIFE IS A DOCTOR TOO.
>> SHE'S A DOCTOR.
>> CAN YOU BELIEVE?
>> THREE GUARDIAN ANGELS ON THE
FLIGHT.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE SITTING
NEXT TO EACH OTHER AGAIN.
>> SO CRAZY.
BECAUSE I KNOW WE MET BEFORE BUT
LIKE I DON'T REMEMBER IT.
AND IT IS JUST LIKE I'M SO
THANKFUL.
THANK YOU.
>> YES, NO WORRIES.
THE THING IS, THE IMPORTANT
LESSON IS THAT ANYONE ON THE
PLANE COULD HAVE DONE THE SAME,
CPR.
>> PEOPLE ARE AFRAID I THINK TO
DO CPR.
IF THEY HAD THE TRAINING, COULD
I AVOID, WHAT IF IT IS NOT NEED.
>> WHAT IF I DON'T DO IT RIGHT.
>> IT IS VERY UNDERSTANDABLE TO
BE SCARED.
THINKING MAYBE I'D HURT THEM BUT
THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
SATES THAT THE BENEFIT OF
STARTING CHEST COMPRESSIONS FAR
OUTWEIGHS THE RISK TO SOMEONE
WHO DOESN'T NEED IT.
IF SOMEONE IS UNRESPONSIVE YOU
DON'T EVEN NEED TO BE ABLE TO
KNOW HOW TO CHECK A PULSE.
IF THEY ARE UNRESPONSIVE.
YOU ARE PERCEIVING CARDIAC
ARREST.
JUST START CPR AND CALL 9-1-1.
>> I LOVE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS
ARE TAKING THE COURSE AND GOING
TO LEARN.
>> TALKING TO EVERYONE I KNOW.
AND EVEN MY BOSS YESTERDAY IS
GOING TO DO A COMPANYWIDE THING
AS WELL AND BRING IT TO
EVERYONE'S ATTENTION.
I'M DEFINITELY TELLING EVERYONE
THEY SHOULD DEFINITELY LEARN.
LIKE DOCTOR CHODRY WAS SAYING.
ANYONE WHO KNEW CPR COULD HAVE
SAVED MY LIFE.
>> HOW COOL.
>> -- KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THEM AS
WELL.
>> YEAH.
SO ONE OF THE OTHER DOCTORS I'M
ALSO A CARDIOLOGIST.
I BELIEVE HE WAS HELPING DR.
CHODRY.
I REALIZED HIS PRACTICE ABOUT 30
MINUTES AWAY SO I'VE BEEN GOING
TO HIM BECAUSE I FIGURED HE KIND
OF SAW WHAT HAPPENED AND HE'D BE
A GOOD SOURCE.
>> SAID THANK YOU AND LIKE NO
WORRIES.
JUST LIKE IT WAS WEDNESDAY IN
YOUR LIFE.