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Is air travel safe for those with lung disease?

Respiratory Medicine, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.

CORRESPONDENCE: R. K. Coker, Respiratory Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, 150 Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK. Fax: 44 2083834957. E-mail: robina.coker{at}imperial.ac.uk

Keywords: Air travel, altitude, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypoxaemia, hypoxic challenge testing

Received: March 1, 2007
Accepted July 25, 2007

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.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. C. Winck, M. Drummond, J. Almeida, and J. A. Marques Air travel and hypoxaemia in real life Eur. Respir. J., July 1, 2008; 32(1): 236 - 237. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Marchand Is air travel safe for those with lung disease? Eur. Respir. J., May 1, 2008; 31(5): 1137 - 1138. [Full Text] [PDF]