At the present time, commercial aircraft cabins are required to be pressurized to the
equivalent of 8,000 feet or less. Although in-flight medical emergencies are infrequent, some …

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic pulmonary diseases are at increased risk of
hypoxemia when travelling by air. Screening guidelines, predictive equations based on …

Commercial airline travel is so fast and easy that it attracts many people with significant
underlying chronic disease. Although most airlines claim no ill effects from the stresses of air …

This report responds to a resolution that asked the American Medical Association (AMA) to
take action to improve airport and airline accommodations for passengers requiring medical …

Hypoxemia occurs during air travel because the pressure in aircraft cabins is not maintained
equal to barometric pressure at sea level. Identification of patients who will develop …

Patients with chronic lung disease may have mild hypoxemia at sea level. Some of these
cases may go unrecognized, and even among those who are known to be hypoxemic, some …

Past studies have shown that patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) may experience oxygen desaturation at the cabin altitudes of pressurized aircraft …

Mortazavi A, Eisenberg MJ, Langleben D, Ernst P, Schiff RL. Altitude-related hypoxia: risk
assessment and management for passengers on commercial aircraft. Aviat Space Environ …

A large number of patients with underlying pulmonary disease travel by air each year and
are therefore at risk for significant cardiopulmonary effects of induced hypoxia at higher …

In summary, the environmental stresses of commercial air travel and the possibility of
altitude-induced adverse events during flight suggest the importance of evaluating …