Nonurgent commercial air travel after acute coronary syndrome: a review of 288 patient events.
Air Med J
; 33(5): 222-30, 2014.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25179956
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
We studied a population of individuals who experienced an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event while traveling abroad and required nonurgent commercial air travel to the home region.METHODS:
This retrospective study gathered data from 288 patients enrolled in a travel-based medical assistance program. Interventions, complications, and travel home were assessed for trends. Descriptive and comparison statistical analyses were performed.RESULTS:
Two hundred eighty-eight patients were identified and entered into the review. Of the patients in this study, 77.1% were male with an average age of 67.7 years. One hundred sixteen (40.3%) patients were diagnosed with unstable angina pectoris (USAP), whereas the remaining 172 (59.7%) patients experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Regarding inpatient complications during the initial admission, 121 (42.0%) patients experienced 1 or more adverse event. The average number of days after an ACS event that a patient began to travel home was 10.5 days for the entire patient population (USAP patients = 8.8 days, AMI patients = 11.8 days). Two hundred twenty (76.4%) patients traveled with a medical escort, and 48 (16.7%) patients received supplemental oxygen during air travel. Four (1.4%) in-flight adverse events occurred in the following ACS diagnostic groups 2 in the complicated AMI group, 1 in the uncomplicated USAP group, and 1 in the uncomplicated AMI group. No in-flight deaths occurred. Nine (3.1%) deaths were noted within 2 weeks after returning to the home region. The deaths after returning to the home region occurred in the following ACS diagnostic groups 2 in the complicated USAP group, 1 in the uncomplicated USAP group, and 6 in the complicated AMI group. None of the patients who experienced in-flight events died after returning to their home region.CONCLUSIONS:
Upon discharge, the vast majority of ACS patients who travel to their home region via commercial air do not experience adverse events in-flight; when such adverse events occur in-flight, these events do not result in a poor outcome. No in-flight deaths occurred; death occurred in a minority of patients after returning to their home region, particularly in the complicated USAP and AMI groups, who were planned readmissions to the hospital.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Travel
/
Aircraft
/
Acute Coronary Syndrome
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Air Med J
Year:
2014
Document type:
Article