In-Flight Medical Emergencies during Commercial Travel.

Physicians who travel may be asked to render care to a passenger who is having a medical emergency during a commercial flight. A considerable proportion of passengers in whom medical issues develop during travel require hospitalization. Therefore, health care providers should understand which in-flight medical emergencies occur commonly as well as the roles the providers can play and the liabilities they may incur when offering assistance. Estimating the frequency of in-flight medical events is challenging because no mandatory reporting system exists.1 A study of a ground-based communications center that provides medical consultative service to airlines estimated that medical emergencies occur in 1 of every 604 flights.2 This is likely to be an underestimate, however, because uncomplicated issues are probably underreported.