Baltimore nurse and boyfriend save man’s life during mid-flight emergency

A nurse and her boyfriend saved a man’s life on a flight back home to Baltimore from a vacation in the Bahamas, CBS Baltimore’s Stephon Dingle reports.

Emily Raines, an acute care nurse at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, was on Southwest Flight 553 when she and her boyfriend heard a call from a flight attendant for anyone with medical experience on the plane – as a fellow passenger was experiencing a medical emergency.

Raines and her boyfriend immediately jumped into action and surrounding passengers rushed to help by providing medical equipment. The ailing man had fallen unconscious with no pulse.

“On our way up there I was trying to pregame, like, ‘Hey, if we have to do compressions, I need you to do compressions. I’ll take care of everything else,'” Raines recalled.

The situation grew dire as the man slumped over in his seat, his face completely purple. “It was quite alarming, obviously, seeing his face look that way,” Raines said.

After performing multiple rounds of compressions, Raines was able to revive the man roughly seven minutes before the plane landed. “I would say about seven minutes before we landed is when we got him back to life,” she said.

He was rushed to the hospital by emergency personnel.

Raines and her boyfriend received enthusiastic high-fives from their fellow passengers for their heroic efforts.

“We’re still not completely sure what happened. He didn’t have a heart attack, but his heart stopped. They believe that multiple factors played a role, mostly due to his low oxygen levels,” Raines explained.

The event added another layer to the bond between Raines and her boyfriend. “We were amped because it’s so awesome to have that feeling, and afterwards, you’re just like, ‘Oh wow. We did this. We saved somebody’s life!'” Raines exclaimed.

Raines had routine CPR training at GBMC. Her boyfriend is a former nurse who now works in finance.

You might say they took the mantra of compassionate care to new heights.