Emirates Expanding Its Inflight Medical Assistance Capabilities

Emirates has teamed with Arizona-based MedAire to expand the level of inflight medical assistance it can provide its passengers.

Emirates' cabin crew can now obtain clinically-accurate vital signs data from a stricken passenger using a new passenger health monitoring system, called Tempus, supplied from U.K.-based Remote Diagnostic Technologies Ltd (RDT).

Tempus records data about a passenger's blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, which is sent via the aircraft's inflight communications system to MedAire's Global Response Center in Phoenix.  MedLink's certified emergency physicians are available to review the data, assess the situation and advise the crew and/or medically-qualified onboard volunteer on the best course of action.

Tempus is now installed in all Emirates' A340-500s that are currently operating between Dubai and New York, Osaka, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Christchurch.  The unit will be fitted also into the B-777s and A380-800s that Emirates will be receiving.

Emirates' pursers and senior flight stewards are trained in the use of the Tempus system, which besides sending a patient's vital signs, also sends high-resolution pictures to MedLink's responding physicians for further assessment and treatment. The flight crew can use a satellite telephone from either the flight deck or a seat phone to make contact from anywhere around the globe.  04-16-2006.

Click here to become a registered Flt Tech Online subscriber and receive headlines delivered to your e-mail each week

Click here to go back to the headlines