Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Sep;129(9):1000.e1-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.05.013. Epub 2016 Jun 4.

Prevention of Medical Events During Air Travel: A Narrative Review

Diane Naouri  1 , Frederic Lapostolle  2 , Claire Rondet  3 , Olivier Ganansia  4 , Dominique Pateron  5 , Youri Yordanov  6
Affiliations
Review

Prevention of Medical Events During Air Travel: A Narrative Review

Diane Naouri et al. Am J Med. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Prior to traveling, and when seeking medical pretravel advice, patients consult their personal physicians. Inflight medical issues are estimated to occur up to 350 times per day worldwide (1/14,000-40,000 passengers). Specific characteristics of the air cabin environment are associated with hypoxia and the expansion of trapped gases into body cavities, which can lead to harm. The most frequent medical events during air travel include abdominal pain; ear, nose, and throat pathologies; psychiatric disorders; and life-threatening events such as acute respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. Physicians need to be aware of the management of these conditions in this unusual setting. Chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are common and are at increased risk of acute exacerbation. Physicians must be trained in these conditions and inform their patients about their prevention.

Keywords: Emergency medicine; Prevention; Travel.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Change in air pressure with altitude.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. French Ministry of Economy and Finance; Messager M, Ruiz G, Warnet C. Le poids économique et social du tourisme. 2011, Available at: www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/var/storage/rapports-publics/114000081.pdf. Accessed March 15, 2016 [in French].
    1. Silverman D., Gendreau M. Medical issues associated with commercial flights. Lancet. 2009;373(9680):2067–2077. - PMC - PubMed
    1. European Aviation Safety Agency. EASA type-certificate data sheet for Airbus A380. 2013, Available at: www.easa.europa.eu/system/files/dfu/EASA-TCDS-A.110_Airbus_A380-08-24092.... Accessed December 8, 2015.
    1. Lapostolle F., Corège D., Sordelet D. Y a t-il un médecin dans l'avion? Presse Med. 2010;39(6):626–631. [in French] - PubMed
    1. Szmajer M., Rodriguez P., Sauval P., Charetteur M.P., Derossi A., Carli P. Medical assistance during commercial airline flights: analysis of 11 years experience of the Paris emergency medical service (SAMU) between 1989 and 1999. Resuscitation. 2001;50(2):147–151. - PubMed