| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Circulation. 1996;93:272-276.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
Air Travel and Adults With Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease
From Wilhelmina University Children's Hospital (E.H., P.A.H., A.A.B., J.C.F., D.d.B., E.J.M.), Utrecht, Netherlands; Netherlands Aerospace Medical Centre (M.S.); and Academic Hospital Maastricht (T.M.H.), Maastricht, Netherlands.
Correspondence to Paul A. Hutter, MD, Wilhelmina University Children's Hospital, PO Box 18009, 3501 CA Utrecht, Netherlands.
Background Concern has been expressed that a reduction of partial oxygen pressure during flight in commercial aircraft may induce dangerous hypoxemia in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease.
Methods and Results To evaluate the validity of this concern, the transcutaneous SaO2 was measured in 12 adults with this type of heart disease and 27 control subjects during simulated commercial flights of 1.5 and 7 hours in a hypobaric chamber. Ten of those patients and 6 control subjects also were evaluated during two actual flights of approximately 2.5 hours in a DC-10 and an A-310, respectively. During the prolonged simulated and actual flights, the capillary blood pH, gases, and lactic acid were analyzed in the patients and during one of the actual flights also in the control subjects. During the simulated flights the SaO2 was at all times lower in the patients than in the control subjects. However, the maximal mean actual percentage decrease, as compared with sea level values, did not exceed 8.8% in either patients or control subjects. During the actual flights, this maximal decrease in the patients was 6%. In-flight reduction of the capillary PO2 was considerable in the control subjects but not in the patients. It is our hypothesis that the lack of a significant decrease of the PO2 in the patients might possibly be due to a high concentration of 2.3 diphosphoglycerate in the red cells. The flights had no influence on the capillary blood pH, PCO2, bicarbonate, or lactic acid levels in either patients or control subjects.
Conclusions Atmospheric pressure changes during commercial air travel do not appear to be detrimental to patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease.
Key Words: heart disease • oxygen • air travel
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  C Bossley and I M Balfour-Lynn Taking young children on aeroplanes: what are the risks? Arch. Dis. Child., June 1, 2008; 93(6): 528 - 533. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Joy Cardiovascular disease and airline travel Heart, December 1, 2007; 93(12): 1507 - 1509. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. S Broberg, A. Uebing, L. Cuomo, S. L. Thein, M. G Papadopoulos, and M. A Gatzoulis Adult patients with Eisenmenger syndrome report flying safely on commercial airlines Heart, December 1, 2007; 93(12): 1599 - 1603. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G.-P. Diller and M. A. Gatzoulis Pulmonary Vascular Disease in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease Circulation, February 27, 2007; 115(8): 1039 - 1050. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Managing passengers with respiratory disease planning air travel: British Thoracic Society recommendations Thorax, April 1, 2002; 57(4): 289 - 304. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Advising patients about air travel DTB, April 1, 1996; 34(4): 30 - 32. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Flying and CCHD Journal Watch Cardiology, March 1, 1996; 1996(301): 5 - 5. [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 IS AIR TRAVEL SAFE FOR ADULTS WITH CYANOTIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE? Journal Watch (General), February 2, 1996; 1996(202): 5 - 5. [Full Text]
|
|