Category: Risk
The risk of air travel thrombosis is just beginning to be understood. Gianni Belcaro’s LONFLIT studies are finding that 3% of air travelers on long flights (10 hours or more) develop clots. Among frequent business travelers, LONFLIT IV found 4.5% developing one or more clots per year, about fifty times as many clots as found in a non-flying population. Most of these clots dissolve naturally, but the few that don’t are still a huge public health problem.
Some people are more likely to develop injurious clots than others. In the following pages, we discuss:
– Risk Factors
– Pilots
– Athletes
– Common misconceptions.
Avoid:
– Wearing anything that can restrict circulation, like a knee brace.
– Crossing legs for more than a few minutes.
– Sleeping, especially if you have any risk factors such as athletic training. If sleep is unavoidable, try to find a place where you can lie horizontal and/or arrange for someone to wake you after a short nap.
– Alcohol, caffeine, and water. (See Hydration page.)
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Common Misconceptions
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If I am in good shape, it won’t happen to me. Athletic people are at much greater risk than other passengers. See our Athletes page. No one is safe from this. More than half the victims have no risk factor other than air travel. On our Messages page you will see remarks from victims who…
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Athletics, Fitness
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About 85% of air travel thrombosis victims are athletic, usually endurance-type athletes like marathoners. People with slower resting blood flow are at greater risk of stasis, stagnant blood subject to clotting. Also, they are more likely to have bruises and sore muscles that can trigger clotting. No other risk factor…
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Risk Factors
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The usual risk factors for DVT are listed below. However, these are based on the cases most likely to be observed and treated, the cases arising during or soon after hospitalization. DVT following hip surgery. for example, is likely enough to warrant prophylactic anticoagulants in every case. However, the risk…
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Advice for Pilots to Avoid Thrombosis Injury
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Fainting Often the first sign of PE (pulmonary embolism) is fainting without warning, especially in older victims. David McKenas, director of medicine at American Airlines, says the most frequent causes of sudden pilot incapacitation are cardiac arrest, arrhythmia, and fainting. All can be caused by pulmonary embolism. Some pilots are…