Actress Carrie Fisher in critical condition after a 'cardiac episode' on flight from London to L.A.

[RandySF]

“Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher was in critical condition Friday after suffering a “cardiac episode” during a flight from London to Los Angeles, according to emergency officials.

Fisher, 60, was rushed to the hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics shortly after noon, after her flight touched down at LAX.

A source who was not authorized to discuss the incident said the actress was “in a lot of distress on the flight.”

A statement released by United Airlines said that medical personnel met flight 935 from London upon arrival after the crew reported a passenger was unresponsive.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-carrie-fisher-cardiac-20161223-story.html

[shenmue]

1. Oh no!

[IADEMO2004]

2. I have a new Christmas wish. Live and be well Carrie Fisher.

[Siwsan]

3. Oh No!

I can't even come up with anything else to write!!

[Maru Kitteh]

4. MSNBC reported full cardiac arrest, and on a plane with every single minute passing . . .

It's possible she could survive this but I'm very sorry to say that statistically, the chances are sadly poor.

How very sad. Our kindest thoughts to her family, friends and many fans. I hope she will be the exception, and make a full recovery.

[RandySF]

9. The flight was form London to L.A.

Which means to me they had ample opportunity to make an emergency landing somewhere.

[beaglelover]

12. According to TMZ it happened about 15 minutes before landing at LAX.

A passenger sitting in front of her said she was not breathing for 10 minutes, which would be devastating.

[Maraya1969]

43. Don't they carry paddles on planes now?

[Maru Kitteh]

15. It's being described as a "massive" heart attack, reported as full cardiac arrest and

it happened 15 minutes before landing. I want her to be well as much as anyone, but I'm also a nurse. Unfortunately, I know how the numbers run.

[beaglelover]

17. And wouldn't it be really bad if she was not breathing for 10 minutes?

Doesn't that mean even if she does recover she would have massive brain damage?

[Maru Kitteh]

23. Yes, that's devestating for a brain. CPR with mouth 2 mouth can help, if done correctly

And it sounds like there was only one rescuer, so it's quite possible he did compressions only; although of course I don't know, but even if he did get some breaths in, that's just a really long time, an eternity without spontaneous breathing.

With CPR what you're really trying to do is get that heart to pop back into rhythm and get that patient beating/breathing on their own again. 10 minutes without that? I'm very, very sad to say - it doesn't sound very good for her at all.

[uponit7771]

25. How can this be done with one person? thx in advance

[Maru Kitteh]

32. It's now taught, based on evidence that better outcomes happen when 1 rescuer starts with

compressions only for the first minute. (at least in the last 2 hospitals I've worked in)

With one rescuer, the person must switch from doing compressions, lift and tilt the head back and breathe into the mouth or nose, sealing the other off so that the air goes into the lungs. It's extremely physically taxing to do CPR, very difficult work, and every second feels like forever.

[uponit7771]

33. thx !!! I worked at American Heart Association and afte 50 heart attacks are a big deal

... without a difibulator things get rough.

I went to CPR but don't remember too much

thx

[Hassin Bin Sober]

30. I would hope they had a defibrillator on board.

I thought all commercial jets carry a defibrillator. Especially an international flight.

If not, it's criminal negligence IMO.

[Maru Kitteh]

35. You can't defib a heart with no activity

An AED will not shock on a flat line because it does no good. All you can do is manual CPR then and keep checking to see if you have some electrical activity that you can then try and shock.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

40. Thanks.

When they say "full cardiac arrest" does that mean flat line? Or is it a media thing? Or both?

I would hope they at least had her hooked up to a defibrillator.

When my sister in law found my brother unresponsive the first guy on scene was a cop running in the front door with a defibrillator in hand. Unfortunately my brother was basically room temperature as he died in the night

It's nice to see defibrillators stationed in public places these days.

[Maru Kitteh]

41. It sounds like she was flatlined on arrival, as reports say an additional 15 minutes of CPR

was done after landing before she regained a pulse. That's 30 minutes without adequate perfusion.

I'm so very sorry to hear about your brother. I truly am.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

44. Thanks.

Losing someone suddenly like that is truly awful. It's been two years and it's still hard.

[Maraya1969]

47. I never knew that! Is it dangerous to give compression if the heart is still beating?

I always think that if I am ever in that situation that my nerves might not catch a pulse and I might start pumping down on someone's chest who doesn't need it.

[Horse with no Name]

52. they'll let you know really quick if they don't need it

n/a

[Maru Kitteh]

56. lol, yeah, there's that too. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

55. If they are not breathing, it's a very good chance the heart is not beating in an organized pulse

So you can calm your nerves a bit that way. Also, try checking the pulse in more than one location. If the person is unconscious and not breathing, and you can't find a pulse, you are MUCH more likely to do good than harm by proceeding with CPR.

Hope this helps.

[still_one]

24. They also reported that people on board were administering CPR before it landed, so she may

pull out of this I hope

[Horse with no Name]

53. the odds aren't good

especially when there is a massive insult.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

5. So sad.

[sdfernando]

7. May the Force be with you Princess Leia /NT

[Botany]

8. United Airlines says its crew reported Carrie as "unresponsive" when they landed.

http://www.tmz.com/2016/12/23/carrie-fisher-heart-attack-plane/


We're told the emergency occurred 15 minutes before the plane landed in L.A. A flight attendant asked if there were any medical personnel on board and an EMT who was sitting in the back of the plane came up to first class and administered life-saving measures.

The plane landed just after noon in L.A. and paramedics rushed her to a nearby hospital.

[RandySF]

10. Did they not have an opportunity to make an emergency landing somewhere?

[Heddi]

11. It says it happened 15 mins before plane landed

so they probably were closer to their intended destination than going anywhere else

[Hassin Bin Sober]

46. Yeah, if they were set up for an approach to LAX 15 minutes out...

.... there's almost no way they could switch airports any faster.

[Botany]

14. If Ms. Fisher has had long term organic heart disease then landing a few minutes earlier .....

..... might not have changed her outcome. I hope for the best as per Ms. Fisher but I fear for the
worst. If she was in full cardic arrest and not breathing when the emts got to her then her outlook
is grim. Medical people can "restart" a sick heart but that doesn't mean the person will get better.

[Nevernose]

13. 2016? Go fuck yourself.

Just fuck you. End already.

[still_one]

18. I know what you are saying. It may not be taken as the way you meant though, which was

"f**k the year 2016"

[Nevernose]

21. 2016 clearly wasn't listening the first ten times

I thought maybe if I got sarcastic with it, then 2016 might take the hint. Apparently, it did not.

[still_one]

22. If they were continuously doing CPR she can still pull out of this I hope

[uponit7771]

26. IKR !?!?

[Generator]

27. Ditto baby!

She's one of my favs!

[octoberlib]

16. This doesn't sound good but I'm not a medical professional

Los Angeles TimesVerified account ‏@latimes 5m5 minutes ago
Pilot on Carrie Fisher's flight told ground control that nurses were giving CPR to an unresponsive female passenger http://lat.ms/2ilCy1I



Could 2016 get any shittier?

[riverwalker]

19. Praying for Carrie

Does not sound good. 15 minutes of CPR.... Don't they have defibrillators on planes now?
Too soon, too soon.

[still_one]

20. I thought planes were suppossed to carry carry defibrillators. Regardless, this is very sad

[Maru Kitteh]

28. You can't defibrillate a heart that with no activity

An AED will not shock on a flat line because it does no good. All you can do is manual CPR then and keep checking to see if you have some electrical activity that you can then try and shock.

[still_one]

31. From the report, they started CPR on the plane, and the fact that they haven't ruled it as DOA

means there is still a chance that they were able to provide enough circulation

[Hassin Bin Sober]

34. At least she's in a good hospital.

I think her chances, statistically, are what? Less then 5%?

I understand doctors have had some success with therapeutic hypothermia for cardiac patients that were down for several minutes.

Hopefully she is a candidate.

[Maru Kitteh]

36. Theraputic hypothermia is a treatment that's not gotten enough attention

The key would have been to start packing ice around her immediately, right on the plane. It goes against everything we think of naturally though and would have been very alarming to bystanders.

If it ever catches on they way it should, we will need to do some serious public education.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

42. Very interesting stuff.

Is anybody recommending non expert first responders administer treatment like that?
Maybe some day the defibrillator will prompt rescuers to start packing ice.



For people interested:

How Ice Can Save Your Life
'Therapeutic Hypothermia' Can Protect the Brain in the Aftermath of Cardiac Arrest

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703298004574455011023363866

For decades, conventional wisdom in treating patients with cardiac arrest was that if the heart stopped beating for longer than six to 10 minutes, the brain would be dead. Now a new treatment being embraced by a growing number of U.S. hospitals suggests that patients can be brought back to a healthy life even if their heart is stopped for 20 minutes, perhaps longer.

The difference is profound. In recent months around the U.S., doctors and nurses say, cardiac-arrest patients who would previously have been given up for dead have been revived and discharged to return to their families and jobs with all or nearly all of their cognitive abilities intact.

[Maru Kitteh]

48. If you get the chance, read "Cheating Death" by Sanjay Gupta, I think you would enjoy it

tremendously. There is a large section dedicated to TH. Quite fascinating and a very engaging book.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

63. Definitely will check it out!

[mopinko]

57. remember that little boy who fell in lake michigan?

he was under for something like 15-20 minutes, but the water was so cold that the kid recovered and was fine.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

61. Yep. I remember that. And several since then.

Amazing stuff.

[Maru Kitteh]

64. Kids have the advantage of a nice plastic brain too

This is not to say adults don't make some pretty amazing recoveries too, but the younger the better, brain wise.

[Maru Kitteh]

37. Enough for what though is the question.

The key is what's been lost in 15 minutes down on the plane and another reported 15 minutes of CPR after landing. Time is brain.

One nurse I know had DNR tattooed over her heart.

[still_one]

39. It depends on the situation obviously

[octoberlib]

29. TMZ is reporting she's on a ventilator.

2:46 PM PT -- We're told when the plane landed paramedics worked on Carrie for 15 minutes with CPR before they were able to get a pulse. She's currently at UCLA Medical Center on a ventilator. http://www.tmz.com/2016/12/23/carrie-fisher-heart-attack-plane/

[mainer]

38. I am a doctor and this doesn't look good.

I just watched Rogue One (in fact, just got home from it) so this is just shocking to me. I loved Leia. She was the role model for a generation of butt-kicking girls.

[Barack_America]

59. .

MD here too.

Sets the family up for a horrible choice to make around Christmas.

Just really, really sad.

[Raine]

45. Sending positive thoughts & prayers for her... nt

[Takket]

49. 2016 has taken too much from us already

It can't have Carrie too.

Fuck this entire year.

Her brother said she is out of emergency and "stable". Not sure all what that means. Wishing her all the best.

[TimeChaser]

50. AP just tweeted that her brother claims shes in stable condition now

Alas I am on my phone so I cannot link the tweet

[JI7]

54. hopefully she can recover

[Hassin Bin Sober]

62. Just heard that on the radio in the car. If true, that's very encouraging!

[hrmjustin]

51. Prayers ascending!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

58. Best wished for a speedy recovery

[Warren DeMontague]

60. ... Hang in there, CF

[Gothmog]

65. May the Force be with her