Prevalence of in-flight medical emergencies on commercial airlines.
In-flight medical emergencies were evaluated among passengers arriving at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from October 1985 through March 1986. All emergency department, LAX first-aid station, and paramedic records were examined. There were 8,735,000 passenger arrivals at LAX during the study period; 260 passengers (0.003%) developed medical complaints in flight, and of these 260, 115 (44.2%) had symptoms that lasted for more than one hour. Only 20 (8%) had in-flight physician assistance. One hundred thirty-seven (52.6%) passengers required only first-aid station treatment or signed out against medical advice, 123 (47.3%) were triaged to the ED, and 25 (9.6%) were admitted to the hospital. Seven passengers had fatal events while in flight. Most of the illnesses encountered did not require advanced medical treatment. We conclude that while in-flight medical illnesses occur more frequently than believed by airlines, true emergencies are rare. The rarity of true in-flight medical emergencies coupled with low physician availability bring into question the benefit of any comprehensive medical kit on airliners.
Speizer
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C
Department of Emergency Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance 90509.
Rennie
C J
CJ
Breton
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H
D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000401:Aircraft; D004630:Emergencies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000600:supply & distribution; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000401:mortality; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D014218:Triage / Q000458:organization & administration*