Facciamo un pò il punto sul rischio di trombosi venosa o di embolia polmonare a causa dei viaggi aerei!
Key summary points
• Long duration travel is a weak risk factor for the
development of VTE. The incidence of VTE after flights
of >4 h is 1 in 4656 and for flights of more than 8 h in
low and intermediate risk flyers is around 0Æ5%.
• Severe symptomatic PE in the period immediately after
travel is extremely rare after flights of <8 h. In flights
over 12 h the rate is 5 per million.
• VTE may be attributable to travel if it occurs up to
8 weeks following the journey.

Recommendations (Also see Appendix I)
• There is no evidence for an association between dehydration and travel-associated VTE and so whilst maintaining good hydration is unlikely to be harmful, it
cannot be strongly recommended for prevention of
thrombosis (2B).
• There is indirect evidence that maintaining mobility may
prevent VTE and, in view of the likely pathogenesis of
travel-related VTE, maintaining mobility is a reasonable
precaution for all travellers on journeys over 3 h (2B).
• Global use of compression stockings and anticoagulants
for long distance travel is not indicated (1C).
• Assessment of risk should be made on an individual basis
but it is likely that recent major surgery (within
1 month), active malignancy, previous unprovoked VTE,
previous travel-related VTE with no associated temporary
risk factor or presence of more than one risk factor
identifies those travellers at highest thrombosis risk (1C).
• Travellers at the highest risk of travel-related thrombosis
undertaking journeys of >3 h should wear well fitted
below knee compression hosiery (2B).
• Where pharmacological prophylaxis is considered appropriate, anticoagulants as opposed to anti-platelet drugs
are recommended, based on the observation that in other
clinical scenarios they provide more effective thromboprophylaxis. Usual contraindications to any form of
thromboprophylaxis need to be borne in mind (2C).

Henry G. Watson
Guidelines on travel-related venous thrombosis
British Journal of Haematolog