In-Flight Medical Events on Commercial Airline Flights.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

In-flight medical events are an inevitable challenge in commercial aviation. Managing these events is complicated by constrained medical resources and delayed access to definitive care.

Objective

To characterize the epidemiology of in-flight medical events and identify factors associated with aircraft diversion, hospital transport, and in-flight mortality.

Design, setting, and participants

This cohort study included 77 790 in-flight medical events reported to a global ground-based medical support center from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2023. All passengers experiencing an in-flight medical event across 84 participating airlines during the study period were included. Data were collected from consultations initiated by flight crew via radio or satel

SUBMITTER: Alves PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12481225 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature