[Prognostic evaluation of the flying longevity of pilots with idiopathic mitral valve prolapse]

In the period of 1995-2001, 576 17- to 49-yr. old pilots of fighters and fighter-bombers with the idiopathic mitral valve prolapse (IMVP) were investigated at the Seventh Central military aviation clinical hospital. In this group, a very feebly marked mitral valve prolapse was found in 98.7% of cases. In 96.7% class-1 IMVP was accompanied by a mitral reguragitation, most often the first-degree one. Based on results of comprehensive examination, medically qualified to fly were 560 out of 576 pilots from the main group (97.0%) and 144 out of 150 pilots from the group of control (97.2%). In the next 5 years the flying career was continued by 76.3% and 78.7% of the pilots, respectively. A clinical-diagnostic and expert algorithm for medical certification of pilots of highly maneuverable aircraft with IMVP was developed which will reduce time of in-hospital medical certification and facilitate more accurately determination of the criteria for immediate and long-range estimation of the flying longevity.