Jul 23 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Don't sit tight on flight, it can kill you
DurgeshNandan.Jha
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New Delhi:
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If you have a long flight, drinking plenty of water and maintaining body movement can spare you a lot of trouble. The story of a 23-year-old trainee cabin crew member from Kenya and that of a 42-year-old businessman from Delhi--the former had a severe clotting of blood in the leg veins, leading to Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), while the latter suffered a cardiac arrest--should serve as a warning. But for timely medical intervention, they would not have survived, doctors said.Bezavit Gabre, the young Kenyan patient, was recently treated at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), and the other patient was admitted to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI).
Gabre was inducted into a private airline a few months ago. Being a beginner she had to sit in the cabin for hours and observe other crew members. About 15 days ago, she noticed a swelling on her left leg accompanied by breathlessness.
Her brother, a paediatrician in Nairobi, said they got her admitted to a local hospital, where she was diagnosed to have Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
In the absence of advanced medical facilities in Nairobi, the family flew her to SGRH. Dr V S Bedi, head of the department of vascular and endovascular surgery, said the patient had extensive swelling in the left leg and thigh when she arrived. “The clots had gone to her lungs as well and she needed early endo-vascular intervention to prevent chronic swelling and further complication,“ he said.
According to Dr Bedi, DVT is fairly common among long-distance air travellers--those who spend more than eight hours in a flight.
“It is also known as the Economy Class Syndrome as these travellers are unable to stretch their legs and sit in a cramped position for long.
Since their fluid intake is generally less during a flight, a combination of dehydration and stasis (no mobility) leads to thickening of the blood and clot formation.
In extreme cases the clot can migrate to the lungs which can be fatal,“ Dr Bedi said.
“This, many a time, is labelled a heart attack. In Gabre's case, too, the cause of swelling and breathlessness was clot formation during the flight. Fortunately, she reached on time and could be saved,“ he added.
Gabre underwent multiple procedures to prevent dislodgement of the blood clot to the lungs along with catheter-directed drawing of blood from the clots. She will be discharged on Tuesday.
Delhi-based businessman Ranjit, who remained in the ICU for over 10 days, went through worse, according to Dr Aparna Jaswal, principal consultant, invasive cardiology at FEHI.
He boarded a flight from Australia to Delhi via Singapore on June 20.
He kept watching one movie after another and hardly moved from his seat. He was so preoccupied that he even forgot to take fluids at regular intervals.
During the stopover at Singapore, he developed breathlessness but he didn't take it seriously.
Ranjit suffered a cardiac arrest due to the blood clot and was taken to a neighbourhood nursing home, where doctors threw up their hands. The family rushed him to FEHI. “We found that Ranjit had developed a clot in his legs be cause of no movement and less fluid intake during the journey. This resulted in pulmonary embolism--when one or more pulmonary arteries in the lungs become blocked--which ultimately led to the cardiac arrest,“ said Dr Jaswal.
Drinking adequate fluids, especially non-alcoholic beverages, is a must during long flights, she added. “Airlines should also have a system to educate passengers about the need for fluids and leg movement,“ she said.
Gabre was inducted into a private airline a few months ago. Being a beginner she had to sit in the cabin for hours and observe other crew members. About 15 days ago, she noticed a swelling on her left leg accompanied by breathlessness.
Her brother, a paediatrician in Nairobi, said they got her admitted to a local hospital, where she was diagnosed to have Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
In the absence of advanced medical facilities in Nairobi, the family flew her to SGRH. Dr V S Bedi, head of the department of vascular and endovascular surgery, said the patient had extensive swelling in the left leg and thigh when she arrived. “The clots had gone to her lungs as well and she needed early endo-vascular intervention to prevent chronic swelling and further complication,“ he said.
According to Dr Bedi, DVT is fairly common among long-distance air travellers--those who spend more than eight hours in a flight.
“It is also known as the Economy Class Syndrome as these travellers are unable to stretch their legs and sit in a cramped position for long.
Since their fluid intake is generally less during a flight, a combination of dehydration and stasis (no mobility) leads to thickening of the blood and clot formation.
In extreme cases the clot can migrate to the lungs which can be fatal,“ Dr Bedi said.
“This, many a time, is labelled a heart attack. In Gabre's case, too, the cause of swelling and breathlessness was clot formation during the flight. Fortunately, she reached on time and could be saved,“ he added.
Gabre underwent multiple procedures to prevent dislodgement of the blood clot to the lungs along with catheter-directed drawing of blood from the clots. She will be discharged on Tuesday.
Delhi-based businessman Ranjit, who remained in the ICU for over 10 days, went through worse, according to Dr Aparna Jaswal, principal consultant, invasive cardiology at FEHI.
He boarded a flight from Australia to Delhi via Singapore on June 20.
He kept watching one movie after another and hardly moved from his seat. He was so preoccupied that he even forgot to take fluids at regular intervals.
During the stopover at Singapore, he developed breathlessness but he didn't take it seriously.
Ranjit suffered a cardiac arrest due to the blood clot and was taken to a neighbourhood nursing home, where doctors threw up their hands. The family rushed him to FEHI. “We found that Ranjit had developed a clot in his legs be cause of no movement and less fluid intake during the journey. This resulted in pulmonary embolism--when one or more pulmonary arteries in the lungs become blocked--which ultimately led to the cardiac arrest,“ said Dr Jaswal.
Drinking adequate fluids, especially non-alcoholic beverages, is a must during long flights, she added. “Airlines should also have a system to educate passengers about the need for fluids and leg movement,“ she said.
