Is air travel safe for those with lung disease?

¹ Respiratory Medicine, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: robina.coker{at}imperial.ac.uk.

	Abstract

Airlines commonly report respiratory in-flight emergencies; flight outcomes have not been examined prospectively in large numbers of respiratory patients. We 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 two weeks of return, patients completed a questionnaire documenting symptoms, in-flight oxygen use, and unscheduled healthcare use.

Six hundred and sixteen patients were recruited; 500 (81%) returned questionnaires. The commonest diagnoses were airway (54%) and diffuse parenchymal lung disease (23%). Twelve patients died, seven before flying and five within one month. Pre-flight assessment included oximetry (96%), spirometry (95%), hypoxic challenge (45%) and walk test (10%). Eleven percent did not fly. In those who flew, unscheduled respiratory healthcare use rose from 9% in the four weeks beforehand to 19% in the four weeks after travel. However, when compared with self-reported data during the preceding year, medical consultations rose 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:

				R. K. Coker, R. Shiner, and M. R. Partridge Is air travel safe for those with lung disease? Eur. Respir. J., November 1, 2008; 32(5): 1423 - 1424. [Full Text] [PDF]

				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]