Table 2 Details of medical and surgical in-flight emergencies. Percentages are based on 10,189 incidents from two European airlines January 2002 to December 2007.
From: Surgical and medical emergencies on board European aircraft: a retrospective study of 10189 cases
Year | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % |
Diagnosis | 1615 | 100% | 1210 | 100% | 1167 | 100% | 1692 | 100% | 2379 | 100% | 2126 | 100% |
Syncope | 906 | 56.1% | 665 | 55.0% | 726 | 62.2% | 919 | 54.3% | 1028 | 43.2% | 1063 | 50.0% |
Gastrointestinal disorders | 150 | 9.3% | 89 | 7.4% | 91 | 7.8% | 160 | 9.5% | 253 | 10.6% | 183 | 8.6% |
Generalised pain | 89 | 5.5% | 50 | 4.1% | 29 | 2.5% | 63 | 3.7% | 100 | 4.2% | 101 | 4.8% |
Fear of flying, unruliness | 73 | 4.5% | 42 | 3.5% | 33 | 2.8% | 91 | 5.4% | 118 | 5.0% | 103 | 4.8% |
Cardiac condition | 64 | 4.0% | 52 | 4.3% | 58 | 5.0% | 93 | 5.5% | 148 | 6.2% | 93 | 4.4% |
Nausea and vomiting | 52 | 3.2% | 23 | 1.9% | 30 | 2.6% | 49 | 2.9% | 87 | 3.7% | 58 | 2.7% |
Allergy | 37 | 2.3% | 42 | 3.5% | 24 | 2.1% | 25 | 1.5% | 40 | 1.7% | 54 | 2.5% |
Pyrexia | 30 | 1.9% | 35 | 2.9% | 18 | 1.5% | 26 | 1.5% | 50 | 2.1% | 30 | 1.4% |
Accident | 26 | 1.6% | 22 | 1.8% | 18 | 1.5% | 46 | 2.7% | 165 | 6.9% | 82 | 3.9% |
Hypoglycaemia | 23 | 1.4% | 30 | 2.5% | 8 | 0.7% | 16 | 0.9% | 14 | 0.6% | 12 | 0.6% |
Renal colic | 22 | 1.4% | 27 | 2.2% | 10 | 0.9% | 16 | 0.9% | 22 | 0.9% | 17 | 0.8% |
Epileptic seizure | 19 | 1.2% | 36 | 3.0% | 28 | 2.4% | 31 | 1.8% | 61 | 2.6% | 44 | 2.1% |
Dyspnoea | 18 | 1.1% | 5 | 0.4% | 2 | 0.2% | 3 | 0.2% | 4 | 0.2% | 2 | 0.1% |
Asthma, dyspnoea | 14 | 0.9% | 7 | 0.6% | 8 | 0.7% | 22 | 1.3% | 65 | 2.7% | 68 | 3.2% |
Inebriation | 13 | 0.8% | 6 | 0.5% | 5 | 0.4% | 4 | 0.2% | 11 | 0.5% | 11 | 0.5% |
Thrombosis | 9 | 0.6% | 8 | 0.7% | 6 | 0.5% | 11 | 0.7% | 8 | 0.3% | 5 | 0.2% |
Biliary colic | 9 | 0.6% | 4 | 0.3% | 5 | 0.4% | 4 | 0.2% | 9 | 0.4% | 2 | 0.1% |
Migraine | 8 | 0.5% | 4 | 0.3% | 2 | 0.2% | 4 | 0.2% | 2 | 0.1% | 8 | 0.4% |
Epistaxis | 8 | 0.5% | 2 | 0.2% | 5 | 0.4% | 8 | 0.5% | 7 | 0.3% | 5 | 0.2% |
Deaths | 6 | 0.4% | 3 | 0.2% | 5 | 0.4% | 5 | 0.3% | 13 | 0.5% | 20 | 0.9% |
Hyperventilation | 6 | 0.4% | 8 | 0.7% | 2 | 0.2% | 9 | 0.5% | 27 | 1.1% | 13 | 0.6% |
Appendicits | 6 | 0.4% | 3 | 0.2% | 3 | 0.3% | 5 | 0.3% | 4 | 0.2% | 6 | 0.3% |
Pregnancy problems | 6 | 0.4% | 4 | 0.3% | 5 | 0.4% | 13 | 0.8% | 7 | 0.3% | 8 | 0.4% |
Diabetes | 4 | 0.2% | 7 | 0.6% | 19 | 1.6% | 26 | 1.5% | 45 | 1.9% | 34 | 1.6% |
Suspected malaria | 4 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% |
Suspected apoplexy | 4 | 0.2% | 9 | 0.7% | 6 | 0.5% | 16 | 0.9% | 14 | 0.6% | 17 | 0.8% |
Suspected MI | 4 | 0.2% | 2 | 0.2% | 6 | 0.5% | 2 | 0.1% | 10 | 0.4% | 10 | 0.5% |
Hypertension | 2 | 0.1% | 12 | 1.0% | 10 | 0.9% | 15 | 0.9% | 55 | 2.3% | 39 | 1.8% |
Narcotic substance abuse | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | 0.1% | 2 | 0.1% | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | 0.0% |
Suspected meningitis | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
Labor pains | 1 | 0.1% | 5 | 0.4% | 2 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% | 8 | 0.4% |
Births | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 2 | 0.1% |
Suspected embolism | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 2 | 0.1% | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | 0.0% |
Suspected pneumonia | 0 | 0.0% | 3 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% |
Drug abuse | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 3 | 0.2% | 6 | 0.3% | 23 | 1.1% |
Suspected tuberculosis | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
Aneurysm | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
Gastrointestinal bleeding | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
Cerebral haemorrhage | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
Attempted suicide | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% |