Make Medicine Better

When passengers on AirTran flight 795 from Atlanta to St. Louis Nov. 5 heard the overhead call for medical assistance, Christian Seriosa — like a superhero wearing a Christian Hospital jacket — came to the rescue.

“I was returning home on that flight and, when I heard the request for emergency medical help, I automatically hit the call button,” says Seriosa, a registered nurse who’s been part of the CH ER team since 2003. He was with Abbott Ambulance as an EMT for 12 years prior to that. “The flight attendant came over and said a passenger a couple of rows behind me appeared to be having a heart attack, so I just did what comes naturally — and that’s take action.”

Seriosa was unaware that CH board member Dave Malone was sitting just across the aisle from him. “He sprang into action,” Malone recalls. “Until this moment I hadn’t noticed Christian — and to see him emerge from his seat wearing a Christian Hospital jacket was spectacular. For a CH board member, it was a proud moment.”

Seriosa made his way back to the passenger, a 50ish woman with a history of heart disease. “I did the same there as if she had come into our ER faced with this type of situation,” Seriosa says. “I asked her medical history to determine how serious the situation could potentially be and learned she has a cardiac history and was carrying nitro medication.”

Seriosa helped administer her medication and calmed her down, letting her know an ambulance would be at the gate. He sat with her during the landing and waited with her until emergency medical service personnel entered the plane to take her by ambulance to a hospital.

“Christian was able to stabilize and prepare ‘his patient’ for landing, using what limited resources were available in the plane’s emergency kit as well,” Malone says. “After the plane’s landing, Christian was able to bring the first responders at the airport up to speed for a seamless transition of care. He did a great job that afternoon and provided comfort and service to this lady without hesitation or second thought. It was truly remarkable to witness this job well-done.”

“It’s one of those things you don’t think twice about doing — at least, for me, it’s pretty much second nature,” Seriosa says. “I’ve had to jump to the rescue before and I didn’t think any differently this time. But later, when I was off the plane, it hit me when a little boy came up to me and said what a good job I did. Then I realized people were actually watching me. Hearing that boy say that to me was rewarding and it stuck with me the rest of the day.”

Seriosa will be formally recognized Dec. 13 for his actions on the flight with a resolution from the CH board of directors.