PRESS RELEASE: Medical emergency on Qantas flight

PERTH, WA — On Monday morning, passengers aboard a Qantas flight from Perth to Newman witnessed an emergency unfold before their eyes, when a fellow traveler collapsed, suffering severe chest pain radiating down his left arm – symptoms commonly associated with cardiac distress.
Two paramedics who were on the flight called for a defibrillator and the quick thinking of one of the passengers, Philip Taulelei, who was carrying his own CellAED personal defibrillator quickly stepped forward to assist.
The passenger’s portable defibrillator remained on the patient for over 12 minutes, cycling through six defibrillation cycles, monitoring the patient’s heart rhythm and preparing to administer a shock if needed.
Fortunately, no shocks were required, and the patient’s condition stabilised.
“The attending paramedics on the flight took a great deal of comfort from the life-saving CellAED that was available, as did the predominantly BHP mining employees on the aircraft,” said Taulelei.
“The rapid accessibility and affordability of CellAED makes it a game changer,” he added, who credits his advanced medical training from military service for his ability to act so decisively.
“It was out of its protective case and placed on his chest in less than a heartbeat… pun intended,” he continued.
While the Qantas flight had a public access defibrillator (PAD) on board, it was inaccessible at the critical moment, highlighting the importance of personal access to life-saving defibrillators.
“Every minute counts when it comes to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA),” said Dr Steven Brooks, Chief Medical Officer, Rapid Response Revival. “For every minute that CPR and defibrillation are delayed, the chance of survival decreases by 10%. The fact that a passenger was carrying a CellAED could have made all the difference had the patient continued to deteriorate,” he added.
CellAED makes personal defibrillators affordable, portable, and accessible in case of emergency. Easy-to-use and small enough to carry with you, it can be used quickly in emergencies where public access defibrillators may be too far away or difficult to retrieve.
Fortunately, the patient was safely removed from the flight in a stabilised condition thanks to the quick and coordinated efforts of Taulelei and the onboard paramedics.