If something goes awry, you want Dr. Quinlan on your flight! (Photo: Patricia Quinlan)

Everyone knows that the fictional character MacGyver could use everyday items to get himself out of extraordinary circumstances.

It looks like he’s met his match.

Dr. Patricia Quinlan is now being called “Dr. Angel” after using her hair tie, masking tape, whiskey, and smartphones to save the life of a man on her Thanksgiving Day flight.

Quinlan was flying from Philadelphia to San Francisco on United Airlines Flight 653 when the man in front of her fell out of his seat.

At first she thought he had simply fallen asleep, but when he didn’t get up, she ran to his side.

The 59-year-old man had an irregular pulse and his blood pressure was dangerously low. Quinlan, who practices at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, was given the plane’s automated external defibrillator and used the device to determine that the man had a normal heart rhythm — ruling out the possibility of a blockage.

“The pilot asked if we needed to make an emergency landing in Chicago,” Quinlan told the Morning Call. “If I hadn’t had [the defibrillator], I would have said yes.”

Related: Confessions of a Cruise Ship Doctor

Quinlan’s quick actions at 35,000 feet saved another passenger’s life. (Photo: AP)

The next plan of action was to get the man connected to an IV, but that came with a whole new set of issues. Another passenger offered his belt as a tourniquet for the IV, but it was too large. Instead, Quinlan made a quick decision and used her hair tie.



Additionally, there was no rubbing alcohol on board, so a flight attendant used whiskey to disinfect the needle.

Once the IV bag was up, they discovered a leak. But that wasn’t enough to stop Quinlan and the other passengers.

“The IV bag had a little leak in it, so a woman found masking tape in her pocketbook and we taped it up,” Quinlan said.

Quinlan was assisted by a pediatric intensive care unit nurse and an emergency medical technician who also happened to be on the flight, and as they worked in the narrow aisle, other passengers used the lights on their smartphones to illuminate the area.

Story continues

After the man was unconscious for about 20 minutes, the work of “Dr. Angel” and the other passengers paid off. “It took us about 90 minutes to get him upright. We’d lift him a little and he’d pass out again.”



Quinlan later found out that the man had recently taken blood pressure medicine and was probably very dehydrated. Ultimately, he was able to walk off the plane when it landed in San Francisco.

When Quinlan walked off, the thankful pilot insisted on carrying her luggage.

While “Dr. Angel” is the perfect nickname, we think “Dr. MacGyver” is more fitting!

WATCH: 5 Tips to Stay Healthy on a Plane





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