In-flight medical emergencies study revealed
Published: 23/01/2009 - Filed under: News »
Fainting is the most common medical condition experienced on European airlines, according to research by the journal Critical Care.
The study - which collated 10,189 cases recorded on two participating airlines between 2002 and 2007 – concluded that syncope (more commonly refered to as fainting) accounted for 53.5 per cent of cases (5,307), followed by gastrointestinal disorders (8.9 per cent), and cardiac conditions (4.9 per cent).
“Fear of flying” was recorded in a total of 460 cases, with “generalized pain” accounting for 432 cases. Other conditions included thrombosis, which accounted for 47 cases, while there were 27 cases of appendicitis during the period.
The study also revealed that aircraft diversion was required in 2.8 per cent of cases (279 in total), while a physician or medical professional was involved in providing therapy in 86 per cent of cases.
The Critical Care journal said that a total of 32 European airlines were asked to provide data on in-flight medical and surgical, but “only four were able to provide the required data with adequate medical flight reports”, and “two of these did not participate in the study due to company policy”.
The report concludes that “although aviation is regulated by a variety of national and international laws, standardized documentation of in-flight medical and surgical emergencies is inadequate and needs further development”.
For more information visit ccforum.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
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