Korean J Aerosp Environ Med.  2004 Dec;14(4):123-125.

Coronary Heart Disease in Air Travelers

• Lim HK

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.

Keyword

Air travel; Coronary heart disease

MeSH Terms

Aircraft
Altitude
Angina, Unstable
Anoxia
Coronary Disease*
Humans
Lung Diseases, Obstructive
Myocardial Infarction
Oxygen
Ventricular Function
Oxygen