Ear, nose and throat disorders and international travel

Table 3 Guidance on commercial air travel in specific ENT conditions*

Condition	Recommended Timeframe
Contraindications to air travel
Suspected/confirmed CSF leak	Avoid flying until repaired
Middle ear surgery	Avoid flying for at least 2 weeks**
Sinus/nasal surgery	Avoid flying for 2–3 weeks
Cautions for air travel
Active sinus/middle ear infection	May aggravate symptoms
Recurrent epistaxis	May aggravate symptoms
Laryngectomy/tracheostomy	Stoma humidification required
No contraindications to air travel
Tympanic membrane perforation
Ventilation Tubes/Grommets
Cochlear implant/bone anchored hearing aid

*This is a general guide only and confirmation should be sought on an individual basis given variability in patients, surgical factors and surgeon preference. Other factors, such as risk of venous thromboembolism and co-morbidities, need to be considered
**Commercial air travel has no proven detrimental effect on tympanoplasty or middle ear surgery success rates but most surgeons advocate for flight avoidance for at least 2 weeks

ISSN: 2055-0936