

Mitch Thrower, a La Jolla, Calif., businessman, offered to help when a flight attendant called for a doctor after a woman became unconscious on his flight. Although he’s not a doctor, he joined the flight attendant who was already beside an elderly woman, who had collapsed on the floor.

Thrower immediately performed CPR. He said he learned CPR from a YouTube video. He credits Ryan Moore, the flight attendant, for using the on-board automated external defibrillator to shock the woman’s heart, according to news reports.

The woman gained consciousness after a few minutes of resuscitation, and the plane landed in St. Louis where the woman was taken to a local hospital, according to ABC News 10.

Both the immediate CPR and use of the AED likely contributed to the woman’s survival, according to the American Heart Association. The organization recommends that people act immediately to give CPR and use an AED when an adult suddenly collapses and stops breathing normally, which generally is caused by a sudden cardiac arrest. CPR can double or even triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival, according to  the AHA.

For more information:

  • Learn to save a life with CPR training