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In-Flight Medical Emergencies during Commercial Travel

Jose V. Nable, M.D., N.R.P.,
Christina L. Tupe, M.D.,
Bruce D. Gehle, J.D.,
and William J. Brady, M.D.

When a medical emergency occurs during a commercial flight, health care providers should be prepared to respond. This review offers guidance on how to respond to the more common emergencies and on roles and liabilities in offering medical assistance aboard an airplane.

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Funding and Disclosures

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org.

Dr. Brady reports receiving salary support for serving as medical director for Allianz Global Assistance. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

We thank Linda J. Kesselring, M.S., E.L.S., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, for her editorial assistance with an earlier version of the manuscript.

Author Affiliations

From the Department of Emergency Medicine, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC (J.V.N.); the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore (C.L.T.); and the Piedmont Liability Trust (B.D.G.) and the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine (W.J.B.) — both in Charlottesville.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Brady at P.O. Box 800699, Charlottesville, VA 22908, or at [email protected].

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