For many of us who travel by plane, post-9/11 security restrictions have changed the way we prepare. Our packing has changed, our attire has changed and we now enter the airport hoping to make it through the screening, scanning and patting down with our humor intact.
After flying to Colorado with a friend who has a new pacemaker, I was surprised by the attention she received from airlines' personnel and Transportation Security Administration representatives.
Since this was her third trip with the pacemaker in place, she was well prepared with her documentation and the adjusted screening process.
Since it can even be a challenge to be able-bodied in this environment, I wondered how people who also may be traveling with electronic medical devices, implanted medical equipment, and even artificial hips and knees, cope.
I also wondered who's preparing these patients for the inevitable questions, delays and conversations they will have with various and sundry security personnel throughout their trip.
Generally speaking, air travel is safe for people with implantable heart devices when their heart condition is stable. Still, advise employees to always talk with their health care provider about travel plans well ahead of time, so they can have an evaluation, such as an electrocardiogram, if necessary, and get any specific advice.
Other advice
There are also a number of general guidelines to follow to make air travel safer and easier for travelers flying with medical devices:
1. Carry a copy of your medical history, a list of the medications you're taking, a copy of your most recent EKG if it was abnormal and an ID card that includes your device type, the device's manufacturer and your health care provider's contact information.
2. Airport security gates don't appear to interfere with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, but the metal in the devices - as well as in any artificial joints or other prostheses - may set off the alarm. Tell security officers that you have a device and show them your device ID card.
The TSA recommends (but does not require) that individuals with a pacemaker carry a pacemaker ID card when going though airport security. It also recommends that you advise the security officer that you have an implanted pacemaker, other implanted medical device, or metal implant and where that implant is located.
Security officers will need to resolve all alarms associated with metal implants. Most alarms will be able to be resolved during a pat-down, therefore clothing will not be required to be removed or lifted.
Often, they will reroute you to another security officer for an individual check with a handheld wand or a hand search. The hand wand - which contains a magnet - could interfere with your device, so ask for a hand search to be safe.
3. If the wand must be used, Medtronics, the company that makes many of the implantable heart devices, advises to ask that the handheld wand used for follow-up screening be kept away from the front of the chest as a safety precaution.
4. If you need a pat-down, particularly if the pat-down is related to a medical condition, recent surgery, implant or prosthesis, you have the right to ask for a personal screening in a private area. You also have the right to have your medical condition remain confidential between you and TSA personnel during the screening process.
Non-cardiac health issues
Travelers dealing with non-cardiac health issues also have rights to be considered during airport screening:
* You cannot be forced to remove your shoes if they are attached to braces or a prosthesis; alternative security measures can be used such as moving a wand over your feet.
* You may sit down at any point during the screening process, according to TSA rules. Speak up and let one of the TSA personnel know.
* Syringes or other sharp medical equipment may be kept in your carry-on bag, provided you notify screeners and have the equipment checked. Medication should be labeled from the pharmacy.
Also, it can't hurt to have a letter signed by your health care provider on official letterhead that says you are under the physician's care "for a medical condition that requires him to take medicine by injection. He needs to carry syringes and needles, lancets to obtain a blood sample for testing, test supplies, and a container for used equipment."
Don't surprise the screeners
The key point is to not surprise the screeners. If a screener needs to go through your carry-on bag, warn him or her that medical equipment is in your bag and ask if you may remove it to prevent them from being injured.
Make the offer as a way of protecting the screener; don't just reach in the bag. If you pack any medical equipment, use see-through plastic or mesh bags so screening goes faster.
If you require assistance to get to the gate or have to accompany a friend or family member, you'll need an authorized companion gate pass from the ticket counter that will allow an additional person through security with the ticketed passenger. It's not a big deal and will ease everyone's mind if you can stay together through to the gate, especially in a large airport.
Contributing Editor Betty Long is a registered nurse and founder of Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates, a health care advocacy firm that has helped thousands of patients navigate the health care system and saved millions of dollars in health care costs.Follow EBN on:
