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ALL / Clinical Sciences
Fitness to fly
Fitness to fly
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued guidelines on air travel for people with medical conditions; please see the link provided.Cardiovascular disease
- unstable angina, uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, decompensated heart failure, severe symptomatic valvular disease: should not fly
- uncomplicated myocardial infarction: may fly after 7-10 days
- complicated myocardial infarction: after 4-6 weeks
- coronary artery bypass graft: after 10-14 days
- percutaneous coronary intervention: after 3 days
- stroke: patients are advised to wait 10 days following an event, although if stable may be carried within 3 days of the event
Respiratory disease
- pneumonia: should be 'clinically improved with no residual infection'
- pneumothorax: absolute contraindication, the CAA suggest patients may travel 2 weeks after successful drainage if there is no residual air. The British Thoracic Society used to recommend not travelling by air for a period of 6 weeks but this has now been changed to 1 week post check x-ray
Pregnancy
- most airlines do not allow travel after 36 weeks for a single pregnancy and after 32 weeks for a multiple pregnancy
- most airlines require a certificate after 28 weeks confirming that the pregnancy is progressing normally
Surgery
- travel should be avoided for 10 days following abdominal surgery
- laparoscopic surgery: after 24 hours
- colonoscopy: after 24 hours
- following the application of a plaster cast, the majority of airlines restrict flying for 24 hours on flights of less than 2 hours or 48 hours for longer flights
Haematological disorders
- patients with a haemoglobin of greater than 8 g/dl may travel without problems (assuming there is no coexisting condition such as cardiovascular or respiratory disease)
+PassMedicine Notes
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued guidelines on air travel for people with medical conditions; please see the link provided.
Cardiovascular disease- unstable angina, uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, decompensated heart failure, severe symptomatic valvular disease: should not fly
- uncomplicated myocardial infarction: may fly after 7-10 days
- complicated myocardial infarction: after 4-6 weeks
- coronary artery bypass graft: after 10-14 days
- percutaneous coronary intervention: after 3 days
- stroke: patients are advised to wait 10 days following an event, although if stable may be carried within 3 days of the event
- pneumonia: should be 'clinically improved with no residual infection'
- pneumothorax: absolute contraindication, the CAA suggest patients may travel 2 weeks after successful drainage if there is no residual air. The British Thoracic Society used to recommend not travelling by air for a period of 6 weeks but this has now been changed to 1 week post check x-ray
- most airlines do not allow travel after 36 weeks for a single pregnancy and after 32 weeks for a multiple pregnancy
- most airlines require a certificate after 28 weeks confirming that the pregnancy is progressing normally
- travel should be avoided for 10 days following abdominal surgery
- laparoscopic surgery: after 24 hours
- colonoscopy: after 24 hours
- following the application of a plaster cast, the majority of airlines restrict flying for 24 hours on flights of less than 2 hours or 48 hours for longer flights
- patients with a haemoglobin of greater than 8 g/dl may travel without problems (assuming there is no coexisting condition such as cardiovascular or respiratory disease)