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Pediatric emergencies on a US-based commercial airline
Brian R Moore1, Jennifer M Ping, David W Claypool
1Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. moore.brian@mayo.edu
Insights
Pediatric emergencies on flights are common, primarily involving infectious diseases, neurological, and respiratory issues. Current medical kits need more pediatric medications to improve care during air travel.
Area of Science:
- Aviation Medicine
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Pediatric emergencies can occur during commercial air travel.
- Assessing the frequency and nature of these events is crucial for preparedness.
- Evaluating the adequacy of in-flight medical resources for children is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence and characteristics of pediatric medical emergencies on a US commercial airline.
- To evaluate the contents and utility of current in-flight emergency medical kits for pediatric cases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational review of an institutional database.
- Analysis of in-flight consultations for passengers under 18 years old from 1995-2002.
- Categorization of emergencies, medical kit usage, and flight diversions.
Main Results:
- 222 pediatric consultations identified (1 per 20,775 flights).
- Most common emergencies: infectious disease (27%), neurological (15%), respiratory tract (13%).
- 11% of consultations led to flight diversions, often due to neurological or respiratory issues.
Conclusions:
- In-flight pediatric emergencies frequently involve infectious diseases, neurological, and respiratory conditions.
- Current emergency medical kits lack sufficient pediatric-specific medications.
- Recommendations include augmenting kits with pediatric medications to enhance in-flight care.
Objectives:
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the incidence and character of pediatric emergencies on a US-based commercial airline and to evaluate current in-flight medical kits.
Methods:
In-flight consultations to a major US airline by a member of our staff are recorded in an institutional database. In this observational retrospective review, the database was queried for consultations for all passengers up to 18 years old between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2002. Consultations were reviewed for type of emergency, use of the medical kit, and unscheduled landings.
Results:
Two hundred twenty-two pediatric consultations were identified, representing 1 pediatric call per 20,775 flights. The mean age of patients was 6.8 years. Fifty-three emergencies were preflight calls, and 169 were in-flight pediatric consultations. The most common in-flight consultations concerned infectious disease (45 calls, 27%), neurological (25 calls, 15%), and respiratory tract (22 calls, 13%) emergencies. The emergency medical kit was used for 60 emergencies. Nineteen consultations (11%) resulted in flight diversions (1/240,000 flights), most commonly because of in-flight neurological (9) and respiratory tract (5) emergencies. International flights had a higher incidence than domestic flights of consultations and diversions for pediatric emergencies.
Conclusions:
The most common in-flight pediatric emergencies involved infectious diseases and neurological and respiratory tract problems. Emergency medical kits should be expanded to include pediatric medications.
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