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Medical services were called to meet a plane landing at London Heathrow airport today after several passengers fainted during the flight.
Around six people passed out during the flight from Newark, New York and London Ambulance Service was asked to meet the flight when it landed at Terminal Five at 6.50am.
It was not known what had caused the passengers to faint so the emergency services wore protective suits when they boarded the aircraft to examine it.
Most fainting is triggered by the vagus nerve. It connects the digestive system to the brain, and it's job is to manage blood flow to the gut. When food enters the system, the vagus nerve directs blood to the stomach and intestines, pulling it from other body tissues, including the brain. Unfortunately, the vagus nerve can get a little too excited and pull too much blood from the brain. Some things make it work harder, such as bearing down to have a bowel movement, or vomiting. Conditions that drop blood pressure amplify the effects of the vagus nerve.