Prevention of Medical Events During Air Travel: A Narrative Review.
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.
Service des Urgences, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Diane
D
Naouri
SAMU 93, Hopital Avicenne, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Bobigny, France; Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
Frederic
F
Lapostolle
Faculté de Médecine, Université Pierre et Marie-Curie, Departement de Médecine Générale, Paris, France.
Claire
C
Rondet
Service des Urgences, Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph, Paris, France.
Olivier
O
Ganansia
Service des Urgences, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; Faculté de Médecine, Université Pierre et Marie-Curie, Paris, France and NOT Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
Dominique
D
Pateron
Service des Urgences, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; Faculté de Médecine, Université Pierre et Marie-Curie, Paris, France and NOT Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France; Centre de Recherche Epidémiologie et Statistique, INSERM U1153, Paris, France. Electronic address: youri.yordanov@aphp.fr.
Youri
Y
Yordanov
D064870:Air Travel; D004630:Emergencies; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D057236:Travel Medicine / Q000379:methods; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy
Emergency medicine; Prevention; Travel