Will A Person With Cardio Problem Be Risky To Take Flight ?

[healthcaretaker]

I am taking my elderly dad to visit Thailand soon but he was just discharged for a cardio problem(short of breath) and doctor said it's related to lung but no major treatment or operation needed.

His doctor did not give any definite advise whether he should travel or not but some people say the danger is in the flight(1 to 2 hours) where the poor air may give him an attack, is there any truth ?

He is very enthusiastic about the trip. I am thinking taking him to the north for a vacation to recuperate may be good for his health and I do not wish to disappoint him.

Kindly give some advise.

In case of medical attention needed in Thailand, is medical fees costly ? Is there any government or cheap medical treatment available for a tourist.

Thank you

[Tywais]

Cabin pressure is set for no more then 8,000 foot equivalent of ground pressure. Similar amount of oxygen that would be available on top of a 8,000 foot mountain. Some info below. I would have

thought the Doctor would have more specific advise.

Although aircraft cabins are pressurized, that pressure (called barometric pressure) is less than that on the ground. For most flights the cabin pressure is the same as that at 5,000-8,000 feet above sea level. In other words, when you are flying, the atmosphere within the aircraft is like that on the 5,000-8,000 feet peak of a small mountain. This has two effects: there is less oxygen available because the pressure of oxygen becomes lower; and, gas within our body cavities expands. Both of these phenomena are usually well tolerated by healthy passengers.

A) Oxygen: There is less oxygen absorbed into the blood and circulated throughout the body during flight as compared to ground level due to a decrease in oxygen with an increased cabin altitude. As long as you are in reasonably good health, your body has physiological mechanisms that compensate for this decreased quantity of oxygen. On the other hand, passengers with significant heart, lung, and blood diseases may not well tolerate lower amounts of oxygen. Therefore, they should consult their physician before air travel to evaluate their capability to travel and to determine if there is a need for medical oxygen or other special assistance. Medical oxygen can be arranged with most airlines and it is important to check with your carrier several days in advance of the flight. Furthermore, the combination of low oxygen, alcohol, inactivity and sleep can generate unpleasant side effects like dizziness and/or fainting if one stands up too fast after awakening. Arm and leg exercises before standing up will usually prevent this.

Air quality:

In all modern pressurized aircraft, half the cabin air is fresh air drawn in via the engines with the other half recirculated from the cabin. The recirculated air is ducted through an air filter before being reintroduced into the cabin. There is a total air change (filtered recirculated plus outside air) every 2 - 3 minutes or 20 to 30 exchanges per hour. This is far more than for any home or office building and easily maintains cabin contaminants to low levels. Several studies of the past l0 - 15 years have confirmed that the levels of volatile organic compounds (solvents), airborne particulates, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone and microbials were well within acceptable health levels of our regulatory agencies. This does not mean the air is 'allergy-safe' by any means.

More here Source

[harrry]

He should get a definite answer from his doctor. THere is a special form the doctor may be required to fill in.

If he needs oxygen this gives many problems as many airlines will not allow it and others charge excessively. I know Thai are reasonable at $100 a flight sector. Thai do not charge on domestic flights. Cathay will provide free.

You said one hour flight. In this case oxygen may not be needed but I know from personal experience the longer the flight the more need for oxygen.,

[healthcaretaker]

He should get a definite answer from his doctor. THere is a special form the doctor may be required to fill in.

If he needs oxygen this gives many problems as many airlines will not allow it and others charge excessively. I know Thai are reasonable at $100 a flight sector. Thai do not charge on domestic flights. Cathay will provide free.

You said one hour flight. In this case oxygen may not be needed but I know from personal experience the longer the flight the more need for oxygen.,

Thank you very much. The hopeless doctors in our country(better not name it) can't give any advice. We decided that he don't do the trip.

[Naam]

call the airline. most airlines make individual oxygen containers and masks available on demand without any surcharge.

[harrry]

call the airline. most airlines make individual oxygen containers and masks available on demand without any surcharge.

Naam as an oxygen user who has flown several times this is not true. Many do not allow oxygen at all and some will allow you to use your own concentrator if you have one that is approved free. Others will charge to use a concentrtor Very few supply it free. Thai do with domestic but charge $100 a sector internationally which is average Cathay is one of the few that does provide it free.....

This link provides some conformation of this. Note the requirement for airlines to allow use of concentrators only applies in flights with a US originating flight number. http://copd.about.com/b/2008/09/25/flying-free-with-copd-a-new-ruling-for-oxygen-dependent-passengers.htm

Edited May 18, 2012 by harrry