Another flight, another Louisiana congressman/doctor provides emergency medical care

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Rep. John Fleming uses his medical skills to treat a sick passenger on a Delta flight Thursday.
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on April 11, 2014 at 1:14 PM, updated April 11, 2014 at 4:51 PM

WASHINGTON -- Three days after Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, treated a sick airline passenger, his House colleague, John Fleming, R-Minden, did the same thing.

Fleming, who like Cassidy is a physician, was flying a Delta Airlines flight from Washington D.C. to Minneapolis Thursday afternoon when a flight attendant issued an urgent request for any doctors on board to make their presence known.

Fleming and a doctor from the Mayo Clinic responded.

A passenger, sitting toward the rear of the aircraft, had fallen.

When Fleming arrived, he found a semi conscious male, about 60, very pale and cold and clammy. A few minutes later, the man lost consciousness.

It could have been a reaction to the medication he was taking, though Fleming said there was no way to tell for sure.

The doctors, with help from flight attendants and passengers, lifted the man onto a seat in an Exit Row, so that he could lie down in a flat position.

Fleming applied an IV -- "first time since the 1970s when I was in the Navy" -- and soon he and the doctor helped the patient regain consciousness. The man's breathing improved, his blood pressure rose, and he was able to talk, Fleming said.

Fleming didn't share with the patient the last time he had administered an IV. There are some things better left unsaid.

As the passenger began feeling better, he asked if Fleming was a doctor. And he responded that he is as well as a congressman.

"He said 'what party,' and I responded, 'a Republican.' He said he's a Democrat. Doesn't matter to me. I treat Democrats and Republicans the same way."

Still, Fleming said as they neared the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, and the man offered thanks for the medical care, he couldn't help but tell him he happened to have a party registration change form. The man laughed.

Reminiscent of the sense of humor displayed by President Ronald Reagan after a 1981 assassination attempt left him badly injured. As Reagan was being moved from a stretcher to an operating table, he reportedly quipped: "Please tell me you're all Republicans." The lead surgeon, a liberal Democrat, responded: "We're all Republicans today."

For those keeping stats, here's the week's wrap-up: Two-thirds of Louisiana's three congressman/physicians treated sick passengers this week on board airplanes.

Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, the delegation's third physician, apparently confronted no unexpected medical emergencies this week.

All this medicine in the sky prompted this comment from Cassidy, who successfully treated a passenger who lost consciousness on a Southwest Airlines flight Monday between New Orleans and Baltimore International Airport.

"We're trying to improve Congress' approval rating one patient at a time," Cassidy joked. "The passenger is very fortunate to have Dr. Fleming on board, and I hope he or she is doing well." Cassidy is running for the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., who was one of five congressional members aboard that Delta flight Thursday, tweeted afterwards. "Was lucky to have ‪@RepFleming on board my flight to help with a passenger's medical emergency; everything seems to be OK."

An ambulance met the plane at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport, and took the passenger to a nearby hospital. There's no update available on the man's condition.

Fleming was on his way to Los Angeles for a Republican Study Committee meeting.