“Our client had a heart attack,” explained the
dispatcher from Universal Assistance. “He wants to go home, but the specialist
says he needs a doctor. We have hired a medical flight, and we want to know if
you can go to New York. You come back the same day.”
Experts advise waiting a week or two after a heart
attack to fly, but no one knows the risks of flying earlier because no one
does. An expert who suggests that a physician go along is covering his ass, not
delivering advice based on evidence.
Still, the insurer had agreed, no minor matter when an
air ambulance coast to coast costs about $40,000. I had no idea what I would
earn; nor did the dispatcher, but it would be breathtaking. Hiring a doctor for
a day to testify in a malpractice trial runs to $7000.
I still remember with pleasure the single occasion I
flew first class. Flying in a private jet while earning the price of a European
vacation might leave an even better memory.
But would the patient require a doctor’s skills? It
was unlikely, but I could not dismiss the possibility. Like most doctors, I can
perform basic CPR, but I and most doctors have long since forgotten advanced
CPR: complex drugs and techniques required for various cardiac malfunctions.
Emergency room doctors, paramedics, and ICU nurses deal with these.
Wistfully, I informed the dispatcher that those were
the appropriate escorts.
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