Medical Guidelines for Airline Travel: Management of In-Flight Cardiac Arrest.

Although cardiac arrest during airline flights is relatively uncommon, the unusual setting, limited resources, and the variability of the skills in medical volunteers present unique challenges. Survival in patients who suffer a witnessed arrest with a shockable rhythm who are treated promptly has improved since the advent of widely available automated external defibrillators (AEDs). In general, the chances of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are greater when ventricular fibrillation (VF) is seen as the initial rhythm or if there is return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

Prognostic Factors for Outcomes of In-Flight Sudden Cardiac Arrest on Commercial Airlines.

Background: In-flight cardiac arrest (IFCA) is a relatively rare but challenging event. Outcomes and prognostic factors are not entirely understood for victims of IFCAs in commercial aviation.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of airline passengers who experienced IFCA.

Aeromedical Hazard Comparison of FAA Medically Certified Third-Class and Medically Uncertified Pilots.

Background: Since 2004, in the United States, light sport aircraft (LSA) and some aircraft with standard airworthiness certificates can be operated for recreational purposes with a valid state driver's license rather than a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-issued aeromedical certificate. There have been recent efforts to allow operation of much larger, heavier, faster, and more complex aircraft without requiring a medical certificate. The primary objective of this research was to compare hazards to flight safety identified in fatally injured pilots required to possess a valid FAA third-class medical certificate to hazards in fatally injured pilots who were not required to possess a valid medical certificate.

Toxicological findings in 889 fatally injured obese pilots involved in aviation accidents.

Prevalence of drugs in fatally injured obese pilots involved in aviation accidents has not been evaluated. Therefore, toxicological findings in such pilots (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2) ) were examined in a data set derived from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's (CAMI's) Scientific Information System for 1990-2005. Aeromedical histories of these aviators were retrieved from the CAMI medical certification and toxicology databases, and the cause/factors in the related accidents from the National Transportation Safety Board's database.