How soon after an elective, uncomplicated coronary intervention would you feel comfortable having a patient travel by air?
Usually, 3-5 days after uncomplicated PCI. But in the era of transradial and 5-fr sheaths, and in the absence of Sx, with preserved LV EF, this may be truncated to 48 hours.
As noted, there is limited objective data regarding flying and CV conditions in general, and essentially none for the post-PCI patient. I do not have a blanket policy.
I try to integrate the patient risks of flying early post-PCI, which are:
- vascular access issues,
- risk of venous thrombogenicity,
- i...
This question comes up quite often from patients, along with "Can I still go on my cruise next week that I booked last year?". The lack of guidelines leaves it to a case-by-case discussion. In the past, I considered this topic to include timely access to a primary PCI hospital in the case of acute s...
The lack of clear objective data makes the topic of recommendations regarding time to travel post PCI a person-to-person decision. I agree with most opinions that if the patient had an uncomplicated PCI, preserved EF, and no symptoms… I do not restrict travel. I do advise the avoidance of travel to ...