Flying Safely after Surgery

Many persons who are used to air travel are anxious to fly again after minor or major surgical procedures. Further, many international air travelers may need to fly for business. Still, the proper precautions need to be followed. As a rule, a person who has undergone a minor surgical procedure is able to fly once again after a twenty-four hour period has passed. The individual who has experienced major invasive surgery may need to wait for a period up to three months. So how do you know when it is safe to fly again?

What are the actual risks associated with air travel? The air is much thinner at higher levels of altitude. The air traveler sits inside a pressurized cabin with a measurement of oxygen that is reduced. The oxygen content within the cabin is far less than the standard oxygen content of general land-based circumstances. Individuals who have trouble with respiration on land may certainly have health difficulties at higher levels of altitude. A person who has had lung or cardiovascular surgery is at the greatest risk because their respiratory system is not strong enough to adjust to the thin air of the higher altitudes.

Air travel for some has led to DVT also referred to as deep vein thrombosis. DVT is caused by a person's inactivity or sitting still for hours on end which is part of international air travel. If people do not get up every so often and walk up and down the aisle during world flight, the blood in their legs will start to accumulate and become temporarily immobile. The accumulated blood then travels internally to vital organs such as the lungs and can cause a whole host of problems. You can experience pulmonary embolism if the clot ends up blocking an artery. The patient who experiences the clotting of blood can be in a lot of trouble. DVT is not a result of invasive surgery, but rather presents when people do not get up and move around.

So when you will fly after surgery is really determine by the kind of operation that was performed. If your surgery consisted of a procedure where surgical instruments were inserted into a small opening of your body, you can generally fly again within a few days. If the surgical procedure involved an area of the abdomen and was not highly invasive then the go-ahead for regular flight is normally inside of five days time.

However if the operation was much more substantial with respect to the abdomen or chest areas, the patient is generally advised to wait things out for up to six weeks before once again resuming international flight routines. In special circumstances, a person may fly again within ten days after such surgeries if there is no choice and dependent on the relative health of the patient after surgery is performed. The doctor will advise you.

Individuals who have had their joints replaced or a portion of their lung removed must wait the longest time before they can fly again. The rule of thumb after surgery is that if you can ascend twelve steps at one time without difficulty then you are probably ready to fly. However, keep in mind that your general overall health and the type of surgery you underwent are determining factors.

If you are itching to get off the ground, it is best to discuss your international flight plans with your medical practitioner. Your personal physician will be able to advise if you are at a level of fitness where flight will be safe. Additionally, they may recommend certain prescriptions to ease the burden of flight. You must let the air crew know of your pre-existing health issues upon boarding the plane. This is essential in order that the crew may be prepared should health conditions present during flight. Also, you'll want to attain travel insurance so you are adequately covered if something should happen during the time you are up in the air or afterward. Just remember recovery times vary from one person to the next. Make certain you have had enough time to reasonably heal rather than jeopardizing your health and flying before you are ready.