Retired Registered School Nurse ... hero

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Retired School Nurse, Peggy Phillips, performed CPR and tried to save the life of a woman (who later died) on a Southwest Boeing 737 flight from New York to Dallas.

Officials said the left engine blew on Flight 1380 roughly 20 minutes after it left LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday en route for Dallas.

Nurse recalls effort to save killed Southwest passenger - NY Daily News

Central Texas man tried to save woman sucked out jet's shattered window (this link misprints Ms. Phillips first name)

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Heartbreaking.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Home Health.

Tragic story of course, but I didn't know she was a school nurse. I fly often and wonder what I would do in case of emergency on an airplane since I don't have certain skills other nurses have.

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Specializes in kids.

Ugh...what an awful thing, it must have been terrible to experience. I shall pay more attention to the precheck instructions...

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
Tragic story of course, but I didn't know she was a school nurse. I fly often and wonder what I would do in case of emergency on an airplane since I don't have certain skills other nurses have.

You would do whatever you could, I'm sure. I understand that you can't hear to take a BP but you could probably do it by palp....But I bet if you had to do CPR on someone you wouldn't hesitate.

And Nutmegg-yes, I thought that too!! Pay attention to the flight safety show!

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

So the reports are she and another guy performed CPR on the poor victim for 20 minutes. If you've done chest compressions in reality, you know it doesn't take very long for the sweat to start dripping off the end of your nose and you arms become like rubber bands and you are whipped in general - even switching off with someone else. Imagine doing that in the narrow aisle of an airplane!! This woman must be made of titanium!!

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So the reports are she and another guy performed CPR on the poor victim for 20 minutes. If you've done chest compressions in reality, you know it doesn't take very long for the sweat to start dripping off the end of your nose and you arms become like rubber bands and you are whipped in general - even switching off with someone else. Imagine doing that in the narrow aisle of an airplane!! This woman must be made of titanium!!

Adrenaline.

I can't even imagine this scene. My brain keeps saying NO.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Adrenaline.

I can't even imagine this scene. My brain keeps saying NO.

You'd jump in with both feet just the same...

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You'd jump in with both feet just the same...

Of course!!! We all would.

The aftermath, however.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I was on a Southwest recently. Holy Moley. I know driving a car is more dangerous than a plane ride, but this was definitely a "life is precious and on loan" reminder!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

As I've been working the past few days and basically living under the proverbial rock I hadn't heard that part of the story yet. That's pretty incredible, good for those two for stepping up and helping. It's too bad that their efforts were not successful. From what I've been hearing from different news sources the odds for survival were definitely not in the victims favor after that kind of catastrophic injury.

While it's not at all nursing related, another hero here is definitely the pilot. While I of course have zero experience in flying any kind of plane I can't imagine bringing down a severely damaged commercial airliner with minimal loss of life is an easy thing. If not for that pilots skill there could have been a much worse outcome for many more people.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
As I've been working the past few days and basically living under the proverbial rock I hadn't heard that part of the story yet. That's pretty incredible, good for those two for stepping up and helping. It's too bad that their efforts were not successful. From what I've been hearing from different news sources the odds for survival were definitely not in the victims favor after that kind of catastrophic injury.

While it's not at all nursing related, another hero here is definitely the pilot. While I of course have zero experience in flying any kind of plane I can't imagine bringing down a severely damaged commercial airliner with minimal loss of life is an easy thing. If not for that pilots skill there could have been a much worse outcome for many more people.

No doubt! If you listen to the cockpit recordings of her communication with the airport you'd think she was having a casual chat over the fence with the neighbor. Her blood had to have turned to ice water during that event!! Amazing pilot...amazing guardian over her crew and passengers.

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