RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Should I stay or should I go? COPD and air travel
JF European Respiratory Review
JO EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 180030
DO 10.1183/16000617.0030-2018
VO 27
IS 148
A1 Begum Ergan
A1 Metin Akgun
A1 Angela Maria Grazia Pacilli
A1 Stefano Nava
YR 2018
UL http://err.ersjournals.com/content/27/148/180030.abstract
AB Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a challenging respiratory problem throughout the world. Although survival is prolonged with new therapies and better management, the magnitude of the burden resulting from moderate-to-severe disease is increasing. One of the major aims of the disease management is to try to break the vicious cycle of patients being homebound and to promote an active lifestyle. A fundamental component of active daily life is, of course, travelling. Today, the world is getting smaller with the option of travelling by air. Air travel is usually the most preferred choice as it is easy, time saving, and relatively inexpensive. Although it is a safe choice for many passengers, the environment inside the aeroplane may sometimes have adverse effects on health. Hypobaric hypoxaemia due to cabin altitude may cause health risks in COPD patients who have limited cardiopulmonary reserve. Addressing the potential risks of air travel, promoting proactive strategies including pre-flight assessment, and education of COPD patients about the “fitness to fly” concept are essential. Thus, in this narrative review, we evaluated the current evidence for potential risks of air travel in COPD and tried to give a perspective for how to plan safe air travel for COPD patients.COPD patients should be informed about the “fitness to fly” concept and patients with moderate-to-severe disease need to be assessed with clinical and functional parameters for possible risk factors for in-flight hypoxaemia before flying http://ow.ly/Yd4A30k41Hq