Airborne diagnosis via Internet
Invention could curb unscheduled airline landings
November 4, 1997
Web posted at: 3:50 p.m. EST (2050 GMT)
From Correspondent Brian Nelson
SAN JOSE, California (CNN) -- In a medical emergency aboard
an aircraft, an ailing passenger's best hope has always been
to have a doctor nearby. But at 30,000 feet, doctors face
conflicting priorities: making a medical decision in the
passenger's best interests or saving the airline the cost of
diverting the aircraft to the closest airport.
Dr. Alex Gandsas has had to make that decision. While caring
for a sick passenger on an airplane, the Pontiac, Michigan,
physician was told that landing at an unscheduled location
would cost the airline $15,000 because the pilot would have
to dump fuel.
Gandsas, who also was concerned he didn't have the right
equipment to make a proper diagnosis, thought there had to be
a better way. Now, he and partner Kevin Montgomery of San
Jose, California, think they've found it.
In July, they boarded a regularly scheduled American Airlines
flight to test their theory. With them were a laptop computer and medical equipment, to which Gandsas was wired.
Using the seat phone, they beamed his vital medical signs --
including pulse, EKG and lung performance -- from the air to
an Internet Service Provider (ISP) on the ground.
From there, the information traveled via the Net to American
Airlines headquarters and to waiting doctors in California
and Argentina for diagnosis.
For Montgomery, the successful experiment brought a wave of
relief. "If we had failed that day, we would have never
gotten to try this on another flight."
The two inventors estimate it would cost no more than $10,000
for an airline to install airborne medical monitors in each
of its planes. Gandsas and Montgomery consider it a
reasonable expense that would, in the long run, save money
The Federal Aviation Administration, however, is concerned
the bulky technology might not be practical in the cramped
space of an airplane. "You are trying to practice medicine
in what amounts to a closet," says the FAA's Dr. Jerry
There's also the question of making the system simple enough
for flight personnel to use when no doctor is aboard. U.S.
airlines are looking over the invention, but so far, there
are no takers.