Outcomes of Medical Emergencies on Commercial Airline Flights

This study describes 11,920 in-flight medical emergencies on the basis of consultations from five major airlines to a physician-directed communications center. In nearly half the emergencies, physicians on board provided assistance, and in 7.3%, the aircraft was diverted. Commercial airlines serve approximately 2.75 billion passengers worldwide annually. When in-flight medical emergencies occur, access to care is limited. Physicians and other medical professionals are often called on to assist when traveling, despite limited training or experience with these situations. 1 Airlines partner with health care institutions to deliver real-time medical advice from an emergency call center to airline personnel, in an effort to improve the quality of care provided to passengers. There is limited information on the incidence and characteristics of in-flight medical emergencies. 2 Although previous studies of these events have characterized the incidence, categories of symptoms, rates of aircraft . . .