Traveling with an oxygen concentrator on board a flight following United Airlines restrictions?

Regulations still vary from one airline to another and we recommend that you contact the one that will provide your travel, either directly or through a travel professional, at least 45 days before your departure.

If you have a fan:

– You must take it with you because airlines do not offer this type of device.

– Your ventilator must be equipped with internal dry batteries.

For lithium ion batteries, the energy charge must be between 100 and 160 Wh (IATA regulations). Remember to bring a pack of external dry batteries, to avoid any insufficient autonomy of the internal batteries of the ventilator, and even to keep a complete emergency ventilation circuit nearby in hand luggage.

If you are on oxygen:

In most cases, you cannot use your gaseous medical oxygen cylinders in the cabin, but the airline makes them available to you; this service is generally paid and at your expense.

Portable liquid medical oxygen devices are prohibited in the cabin and can only be carried in the baggage hold, after having been completely emptied and properly packed.

Portable (trans) concentrators are accepted in the cabin, at no additional cost, by a large number of airlines. You must report this use when booking your ticket according to the information sent by your SARD (name and brand of the device, customs certificate if necessary, etc.).

Remember that some airports prohibit liquid or gaseous medical oxygen in their enclosure. Check with the travel professional.

What happens to a patient game has chronic respiratory disease game reduces their oxygen concentration in the blood? In the expectations of people with chronic pulmonary diseases, the decrease in oxygenation in the blood is clearly accentuated and the effects of this increase. The cell adds to the difficulty it is for our body to adapt to changes in time zones, dehydration and cabin air contamination. Sitting for a long time increases discomfort and risks. Exercise during the flight may be worse for patients with lung disease, because of increased oxygen uptake.

What are the main lung diseases, the risks of complications due to air travel are the highest?

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and pulmonary fibrosis. In what respiratory diseases is it forbidden to travel by plane?

According to the recommendation of the Federal Council of Medicine, people with active respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and sinusitis, should not travel by plane. This applies to both passengers and crew. Uncontrolled asthma cases or those who have recently been hospitalized should not be taken on board either.

Patients who have had recent thoracic surgery such as a recent pneumonectomy (removal of the lung) or a pulmonary lobectomy (partial removal of the lung) should undergo a medical evaluation before travel. In the event of recent pneumothorax (spontaneous pulmonary perforation), traveling by plane is an absolute contraindication. Wait two to three weeks after chest drainage and confirm resolution of the problem with an X-ray before traveling.

What should chronic lung disease patients do to travel by air?

It is necessary to discuss with your doctor the risks and necessity of use, in addition to drugs for continuous use, oxygen supplementation and prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

A standardized form completed by a physician with detailed medical information MEDIF is required. This form must contain personal and accompanying information, specifying the need for a stretcher on board or on the ground, wheelchair, batteries, ambulance and oxygen. The form must be signed by the doctor and the patient.

Transmit the MEDIF to the airline with the necessary notice stipulated by the airline. It is necessary to know whether your oxygen dispensing device is approved for boarding for air travel.

Is it possible to travel with my oxygen bottle?

Oxygen cylinders containing compressed gas (also called torpedoes) or containing liquid oxygen are not allowed inside airplanes or even as checked baggage as they are not suitable for high altitudes. The only devices to provide oxygen during the flight that are permitted on board are certain types of oxygen concentrators.