Air travel of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm: urgent air medical evacuation and nonurgent commercial air repatriation.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) presents across a spectrum of severity. Although some resources suggest a theoretic risk for rupture related to air travel, this claim remains unproven. In fact, there are little data from which to make evidence-based recommendations. Air medical evacuation of a patient with either an AAA at risk of imminent rupture or status post recent rupture can be performed, assuming that local surgical care is not available and that transfer is taking the patient to a higher level of medical intervention. Furthermore, medical opinion suggests that patients with asymptomatic and/or surgically corrected AAA can safely travel by commercial aircraft for nonurgent reasons, assuming that other issues including postoperative needs are appropriately addressed. In this discussion, answers to the following issues are sought: flight safety for urgent evacuation and nonurgent repatriation scenarios, waiting time to fly nonurgently after AAA diagnosis, and the need for medical accompaniment.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.
Andrew
A
Barros
Allianz Global Assistance Canada, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
Faith
F
Haffner
Allianz Global Assistance France, Paris, France.
François-Xavier
FX
Duchateau
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA; Allianz Global Assistance Canada, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neurology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA; Allianz Global Assistance USA, Richmond, VA.
J Stephen
JS
Huff
Allianz Global Assistance France, Paris, France.
Laurent
L
Verner
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA; Allianz Global Assistance Canada, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; Allianz Global Assistance USA, Richmond, VA.
Robert E
RE
O'Connor
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA; Allianz Global Assistance Canada, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; Allianz Global Assistance USA, Richmond, VA; Department of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA. Electronic address: wb4z@virginia.edu.
William J
WJ
Brady
D017732:Air Ambulances / Q000592:standards; D064870:Air Travel; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans