Is air travel safe for those with lung disease
TL;DR: In patients flying after careful respiratory specialist assessment, commercial air travel appears generally safe, when compared with self-reported data during the preceding year, medical consultations increased by just 2%.
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Abstract: Airlines commonly report respiratory in-flight emergencies; flight outcomes have not been examined prospectively in large numbers of respiratory patients. The current authors conducted a prospective, observational study of flight outcomes in this group. UK respiratory specialists were invited to recruit patients planning air travel. Centres undertook their usual pre-flight assessment. Within 2 weeks of returning, patients completed a questionnaire documenting symptoms, in-flight oxygen use and unscheduled healthcare use. In total, 616 patients were recruited. Of these, 500 (81%) returned questionnaires. The most common diagnoses were airway (54%) and diffuse parenchymal lung disease (23%). In total, 12 patients died, seven before flying and five within 1 month. Pre-flight assessment included oximetry (96%), spirometry (95%), hypoxic challenge (45%) and walk test (10%). Of the patients, 11% did not fly. In those who flew, unscheduled respiratory healthcare use increased from 9% in the 4 weeks prior to travel to 19% in the 4 weeks after travel. However, when compared with self-reported data during the preceding year, medical consultations increased by just 2%. In patients flying after careful respiratory specialist assessment, commercial air travel appears generally safe.
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Citations
Medical issues associated with commercial flights
TL;DR: In-flight medical events are increasingly frequent because a growing number of individuals with pre-existing medical conditions travel by air and resources including basic and advanced medical kits, automated external defibrillators, and telemedical ground support are available onboard.
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Managing passengers with stable respiratory disease planning air travel: British Thoracic Society recommendations Dinesh Shrikrishna, 1 Robina K Coker, 2 on behalf of the Air Travel Working Party of the British Thoracic Society Standards of Care Committee
Dinesh Shrikrishna
- 01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: This article summarises the key points from the 2011 British Thoracic Society recommendations on managing passengers with respiratory disease planning air travel to provide practical advice for respiratory specialists in secondary care.
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In-Flight Medical Emergencies: A Review
TL;DR: In-flight medical emergencies most commonly involve near-syncope and gastrointestinal, respiratory, and cardiovascular symptoms, and health care professionals can assist during these emergencies as part of a collaborative team involving the flight crew and ground-based physicians.
Air Travel and Pneumothorax
TL;DR: There is clearly a need for additional data that will inform decisions regarding air travel for patients at risk for pneumothorax, including those with recent thoracic surgery and transthoracic needle biopsy.
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Air travel and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a new algorithm for pre-flight evaluation
Anne Edvardsen,Aina Akerø,Carl Christian Christensen,Morten Ryg,Ole Henning Skjønsberg,Ole Henning Skjønsberg +5 more
TL;DR: This algorithm had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 80% when tested prospectively on an independent sample of patients with COPD (n=50) and appears to be a reliable tool for pre-flight evaluation of patientswith COPD.
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TL;DR: The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) programme was initiated in January 1997 to increase awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to decrease morbidity and mortality from this chronic lung disorder.
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Managing passengers with respiratory disease planning air travel: British Thoracic Society recommendations
British Thoracic
- 01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: To meet the need for consistent, practical, and comprehensive advice, the BTS Standards of Care Committee set up a Working Party to formulate national recommendations for managing patients with lung disease planning air travel.
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TL;DR: Arterial blood oxygen tension declined to clinically significant levels in most patients during hypobaric exposure and the measurement of the preflight FEV1 improved prediction of PaO2 at altitude (PaO2Alt) in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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Development of severe hypoxaemia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients at 2,438 m (8,000 ft) altitude.
TL;DR: In contrast to current medical guidelines, it has been found that resting arterial oxygen tension >9.3 kPa at sea-level does not exclude development of severe hypoxaemia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients travelling by air.
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