[Long flights and the risk of venous thrombosis]

It is pathophysiologically conceivable that prolonged air travel may lead to blood flow stasis and hypercoagulability of the blood. The available observational and case-control studies do not, however, indicate an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism amongst air travellers. In these studies bias may have been caused by patients visiting their own GP instead of the airport medical services, the omission of an objective test to establish the thrombosis, the selection of control patients with a different travel behaviour or the inclusion of flying times that were too short. If in the future it becomes apparent that patients with an increased likelihood of thrombosis risk developing venous thromboembolism as a result of prolonged air travel then preventive measures may be required. These could include short-term thrombosis prophylaxis or the wearing of special elastic stockings. Furthermore, all air travellers should be advised to keep moving during long flights and to drink plenty, preferably non-alcoholic beverages.