Objective: On several occasions, the author has responded to requests for medical assistance while travelling by air. This paper examines the various issues when a passenger-psychiatrist is confronted with an in-flight medical emergency.
Conclusions: A range of medical problems can present during air travel. A review of the available literature on a doctor's obligations when confronted with an in-flight medical emergency is provided. Guidelines for the passenger-psychiatrist, who at some stage is likely to encounter such a circumstance, are offered.
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