Coronary Heart Disease in Air Travelers.
- Author:
Heon Kil LIM
1
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea. limhg@hanyang.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Air travel;
Coronary heart disease
- MeSH:
Aircraft;
Altitude;
Angina, Unstable;
Anoxia;
Coronary Disease*;
Humans;
Lung Diseases, Obstructive;
Myocardial Infarction;
Oxygen;
Ventricular Function
- From:Korean Journal of Aerospace and Environmental Medicine
2004;14(4):123-125
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
The air medical transport of coronary patients is a rapidly expanding practice. From time to time, the physician is called on to assess risk or advise coronary patients. Commericial aircraft flight presents a highly variable altitude exposure that may result in significant hypoxia for patients with coronary heart disease. When considering elective long-distance air travel of coronary patients, it is necessary to weigh the benefits against the potential risks of flight. Strong contraindications to air travel by coronary patients would appear to be new-onset angina and unstable angina. And myocardial infarction within several weeks or months constitutes a relative contraindication, with persistent angina, ventricular ectopy, and poor ventricular function. These patients and those coronary patients with obstructive lung disease maybe candidates for in-flight oxygen treatment.
