Aviation Medical - Heart Attack – Super Fit - surf lifesaving legend Dean Mercer Dies of Heart Attac

[ian00798]

Yes you have. It's what they check for when you pee in the cup.

 

And the cholesterol is checked every five years

 

 

[fly_tornado]

you can test blood sugar and cholesterol from your pee?

 

 

[ian00798]

No for cholesterol hence why it is checked every 5 years unless clinically indicated otherwise, yes for blood sugar, they test for the level of glucose present in the urine. Ultimately it's kind of similar to how breath is used to test for alcohol, as there is a relationship between urine glucose and blood sugars

 

 

[SSCBD]

Have you got some evidence to back that up or is that just your opinion

But your in an environment which is considerably harsher than most environments, with some conditions that are known to trigger or exacerbate medical conditions. Have you actually calculated the risk? Otherwise there is no point asking you, because it is meaningless. I would be absolutely certain that avmed makes a risk calculation on every decision it makes, because they may have to explain the decision in a court of law, and saying "very low risk if you ask me" probably won't help them avoid a stay at one of her majesty's fine institutions.

Sorry Ian you are just wrong about the med 2, PPL requirement - for flying Single Engine Cessna type aircraft.

 

Twins or over say "Guess" 2000kg I might agree that a aviation med MIGHT be a good idea to confirm you are not dying. However how many are flying now in RAA just a car License and that is approved by CASA - so WHATS the difference with a single engine Cessna or kit built aircraft really.

 

I would even go further that a full general check up once a year from you local doctor for all RAA pilots or Cessna type GA drivers to confirm your can still can hold car licence would be acceptable.

 

CASA is overreaching as usual.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Ian

 

I DO visit my GP once every year for him to give me my medical authority to drive and to fly of course. Bearing in mind I have a HR licence. So yes I am able to drive a 8 tonne truck all day long to be within 1 to 2 mtrs of cars and trucks going the other way at 100kph. Your argument doesnt stand up. We are talking Rec flying NOT commercial flying. I dont have any issue with your GP doing the medical signoff as they know all your history and have all your medical records and are the best person to make a decision or not if you can do the job. I would like to see all pilots have a normal GP give you the once over and be able to say yes you can or no you cant fly....wouldnt that be a lot cheaper and simpler and less aggravating than some nong at CASA who has no idea of your history at all

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

No for cholesterol hence why it is checked every 5 years unless clinically indicated otherwise, yes for blood sugar, they test for the level of glucose present in the urine. Ultimately it's kind of similar to how breath is used to test for alcohol, as there is a relationship between urine glucose and blood sugars

No kidding?????

 

I have been a type 2 diabetic for 20 years.....I havent crashed a vehicle/truck or aircraft for that matter yet. Infact I keep such control over it as most diabetics do there is far less chance of any issue to do with that when flying a aircraft

 

 

[Ron5335]

Here's one for the Bush Lawyers !!!!!!

 

Lets say you fly for 20 years, then you get grounded on Medical Grounds.

 

In the next 10 years nothing happens to you.

 

Can you then sue casa for the psychological injuries that you have suffered by not

 

being allowed to pursue interests, and the financial losses incurred if you had to sell your plane etc.?

 

 

[ian00798]

No kidding?????I have been a type 2 diabetic for 20 years.....I havent crashed a vehicle/truck or aircraft for that matter yet. Infact I keep such control over it as most diabetics do there is far less chance of any issue to do with that when flying a aircraft

It's not the person that has well managed diabetes casa is looking for in the medical exams, in fact once you show that your diabetes under control casa generally give your medical back with certain conditions. Casa is worried about the person who has no idea that they have, or nearly have, diabetes and the first time they find out is when they get ill, and incapacitated from the first occurrence. That is going to be picked up in the glucose test in the medical.

 

 

[onetrack]

I've noted several traffic crashes involving "a medical event" just in the last couple of weeks. There are quite a regular number of major traffic crashes annually, that are difficult to explain, and can only be explained by a medical event.

 

"Crash" is the precise descriptive word used by Police today, as they claim no crash is an "accident", it has reasons behind it.

 

If we take into the overall equation the fact that multiple numbers of people are killed annually in road traffic crashes by medical events, and perhaps something like one or two people are killed annually in aviation crashes caused by medical events, then we can quite easily come to the conclusion that the risk to the general public from road traffic movement, is many times the risk, than the risk of being killed by an aircraft out of control due to a medical event.

 

Therefore one can conclude that the current medical examinations and restrictions in aviation are quite adequate, and any substantial increase in medical examinations and restrictions will have little benefit, economically or numerically.

 

The simple fact that the OP's news article outlines that even the best of the medical fraternity still struggle to define whether a person is at a high risk, or low risk, of having a medical event, clearly shows that an increased level of medical examinations will not necessarily pick up those who are highly likely to have a serious circulatory-system medical event - whether they are driving a vehicle, or flying an aircraft.

 

In the larger RPT aircraft, the best and most effective backup to medical events is multiple crew members who can take over, and we have seen that happen in recent times.

 

 

[frank marriott]

When "anything" is over regulated to the extent that AVMED goes to it promotes non compliance - the opposite to what they are claiming to achieve.

 

I continue to complete a CASA medical purely for CTA access which I use these days less then once a year on average in 100hr p.a. Flying.

 

It does make one wonder if it worth the extra effort and expence.

 

 

[facthunter]

The spate of "fit and healthy" people dropping dead doesn't mean you shouldn't look after yourself, IF it does nothing, because that would be an incorrect conclusion.. You must do it in the right way. Extreme athletes tend to confuse strength and endurance with health. They frequently have heart events if you follow what's going in with "that" group and frequently have cancers as well, which tends to surprise them as they often regard themselves as indestructible. If you have junk in your arteries and it dislodges and blocks something you are going to notice it as it has to go somewhere, and the "pipe" gets smaller the further you go. It the electrical signals that control your heart beats go awry. (fibrillation) you drop dead if nothings done quickly because your heart isn't pumping blood any more, even though it's beating fast.

 

Proper Diet should be more than weight control orientated. You need the proper "elements" Minerals, vitamins, essential oils, protein INSOLUBLE fibre etc to grow build and repair your body and maintain your intestinal flora. Antibiotics cause a lot of problems with your immune system. Most drugs have side effects, especially with prolonged use. Stress is fatal to all animals and we are no different, and probably don't appreciate what actual stresses are in our daily lives. Nev

 

 

[derekliston]

Again someone may tell me otherwise but, since most sport/recreational aviation takes place in rural areas and I believe the rules for flying experimental over populous areas say high enough to glide clear (Not sure what recreational rules are) then there is very little risk to the general population. When I was in the UK there was a Cessna 152 at High Wycombe suffered an engine failure and came down on a house, in a fairly level gliding attitude and it simple ended up perched on the ridge with it's main wheels through the tiles.

 

 

[ian00798]

Again someone may tell me otherwise but, since most sport/recreational aviation takes place in rural areas and I believe the rules for flying experimental over populous areas say high enough to glide clear (Not sure what recreational rules are) then there is very little risk to the general population. When I was in the UK there was a Cessna 152 at High Wycombe suffered an engine failure and came down on a house, in a fairly level gliding attitude and it simple ended up perched on the ridge with it's main wheels through the tiles.

Well that's totally incorrect, a large portion of recreational flying takes place in our capital cities and there is absolutely no requirement to be able to glide clear of the built up areas, you just have to be at or above 1000ft over obstacles within 600m of the aircraft

 

 

[derekliston]

Well that's totally incorrect, a large portion of recreational flying takes place in our capital cities and there is absolutely no requirement to be able to glide clear of the built up areas, you just have to be at or above 1000ft over obstacles within 600m of the aircraft

Thanks for that Ian, as I said in another thread, I learn from these things. Most of our sport/ rec flying around here takes place at strips like Clifton, Watts Bridge, Boonah, Clifton, Coominya, Kilcoy and Gatton as well as Warwick that I fly from and is about 12kms from the township, so I am quoting from my knowledge base but I am happy to stand corrected. When I first arrived in Australia our capital city GA field (Archerfield) was a very busy field with parallel runways operating and on weekends very busy circuits and probably a hundred or so aircraft on tie downs. A very different place now on any day that I've been there (34yrs later) and without flying school traffic there wouldn't be a lot left I think. Once again I stand to be corrected as I am really not familiar with Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Canberra or Hobart in sport aviation terms.

 

 

[ian00798]

Thanks for that Ian, as I said in another thread, I learn from these things. Most of our sport/ rec flying around here takes place at strips like Clifton, Watts Bridge, Boonah, Clifton, Coominya, Kilcoy and Gatton as well as Warwick that I fly from and is about 12kms from the township, so I am quoting from my knowledge base but I am happy to stand corrected. When I first arrived in Australia our capital city GA field (Archerfield) was a very busy field with parallel runways operating and on weekends very busy circuits and probably a hundred or so aircraft on tie downs. A very different place now on any day that I've been there (34yrs later) and without flying school traffic there wouldn't be a lot left I think. Once again I stand to be corrected as I am really not familiar with Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Canberra or Hobart in sport aviation terms.

While still not what it was in its heyday, Archerfield is starting to get quite busy again now with a very interesting traffic mix

 

 

[derekliston]

While still not what it was in its heyday, Archerfield is starting to get quite busy again now with a very interesting traffic mix

That would be good, I was a LAME there for ten years and had the definite impression towards the latter years that the management, after privatisation, would have preferred to close the runways and build warehouses!

 

 

[ian00798]

They probably still would like to Derek, which is even more reason to use it, remember the basic principle of use it or lose it, and Archerfield would be horrible to lose

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Who wants to fly into brisbane or SScoast or GCoast airports...nt me thats for sure with the landing fees...lets face it that really is the domain of most commercial ops...the 98% of us just want to fly out of the main areas...so why the super tough medicals from CASA

 

Ian yes my diabeties is extremely well managed and most likely there are a lot of pilots out there who do not even know they are bad diabetics. I can not pass the CASA version Ausroads medical even for RPL as I have diabeties and have had heart bypasses. The truth of the matter is I have had th bore and sleeve and most of all you out there have no idea what condition your heart is in at all and you may keel over tomorrow for all you know. My bypasses were due to many years of out of control type 2 diabeties and of course since then I have changed many things in my lifestyle to ensure they never get blocked again. I have enquired to CASA about any possiblitity and they basically said forget it...Yet I am capable and allowed to drive a 8 tonne vehicle any day and any time on the road or highway or down the queen st Mall....it doesnt make sense......well we all know that common sense went out the window quite a while ago now

 

 

[ian00798]

Who wants to fly into brisbane or SScoast or GCoast airports...nt me thats for sure with the landing fees...lets face it that really is the domain of most commercial ops...the 98% of us just want to fly out of the main areas...so why the super tough medicals from CASAIan yes my diabeties is extremely well managed and most likely there are a lot of pilots out there who do not even know they are bad diabetics. I can not pass the CASA version Ausroads medical even for RPL as I have diabeties and have had heart bypasses. The truth of the matter is I have had th bore and sleeve and most of all you out there have no idea what condition your heart is in at all and you may keel over tomorrow for all you know. My bypasses were due to many years of out of control type 2 diabeties and of course since then I have changed many things in my lifestyle to ensure they never get blocked again. I have enquired to CASA about any possiblitity and they basically said forget it...Yet I am capable and allowed to drive a 8 tonne vehicle any day and any time on the road or highway or down the queen st Mall....it doesnt make sense......well we all know that common sense went out the window quite a while ago now

Wouldn't you like to have had that picked up before it even became diabetes though? That would definitely have been a possibility if you had to do an annual medical where they checked for that. While I don't love the cost of the medical, I consider the annual medical I have to do to be a good thing, and the worst possible scenario is they find something that means I can't fly, they treat it, I get many more years with my family and probably a medical that says I have to fly with a safety pilot, which isn't the worst thing in the world let's be honest.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Well Ian...this will tell you something.

 

As part of my diabeties my professor who was looking after me wanted me to have a stress test, I had a stress test on my heart and did the treadmill thing for the 15 minutes up the hill and he said to me that all was fine except for the very last part of the test which showed I MAY have a small blockage.

 

Less than 6 months later I am working at my farm and was working hard shifting trees and stuff and I had to lay down that arvo as I felt stuffed..the next morning we left there for the 300km drive home. That night I felt like crap and had a pain down my neck...no chest pain or arm pain but did feel a little nausea. I looked up the ipad and said to the mrs..I think I better go to the hospital I think there maybe a issue with the ticker.

 

Went to the hospital they did the blood test for a heart attack and it was fine so 8 hrs later after the wait they said we can keep you in overnight or seeing you have pvt health we think you should go to the Holy Spirit and get a agiogram its the only way to tell what is going on. So I said ok no worries I want to check it to make sure. They ambulanced me down there and went on the table the next morning.

 

So I am lying there watching this huge tv screen and this wire going into my heart and all this dye being squirted around and the cardiologist says" that will be 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 bypasses there fella" ...and of course I said WHAT!!!! not even 6 months ago I had a stress test and I was told I was still pretty good and not to worry. he says this is the only real way to tell...they wanted to keep me in for the 3 days until they could get me on the table but I said I have to go home and get my life in order just incase I drop off this mortal coil during the op...they said they didnt want me to go as I literally could drop dead on the spot I was so bad. I managed to get home and sort out all the business stuff and pay all my accounts and leave the "in the event of my death" file with passwords etc for accounts and other stuff then fronted back to the hospital and got 3 bypasses not the 4 as they said the 4th one wouldnt make that much difference.

 

So after the operation I saw the heart surgeon and asked him why I had all 4 arteries 90% blocked. I said I been a fat ba@stard and smoked most of my adult life so I gather that was it...he says well that didnt help but what got you was long term out of control diabeties why do you think you are hearing more about that now. I knew I was diabetic and was on pills for many years but never really treated the disease with any respect...its a different matter now I can tell you. I am right on it all the time and manage it better than most I would think to the point now my HBA1C was 9.9 is now down to 6.7 with less insulin that I have ever used before. The doc reckons my pancreas has actually started to recover and work now.

 

So even with all this info CASA still say I am too big a risk.....what a crock...I am actually probably more healthier and least likely to have a medical event than at least half the pilots in rec and pvt GA

 

 

[facthunter]

If you are flying a GA or U/L single engine aircraft over continuous houses, ocean or densely treed steep slopes you have nowhere to go if your infernal combustion piston engine fails, as it's likely to anytime. Far more likely than a heart event. In a practical sense, the aviation medicals haven't been notably effective at predicting cardiac and stroke events . I've been monitoring the scene for my entire flying career, spoken with many thinking medico's who know the facts. Many heart events have happened soon after doing a stress ecg. (within 2 months) Doing the stress test itself is not without risk. Many tests (angiograms) have a mortality risk which Avmed expose pilots to. CT scans are bad for you. They don't take any responsibility for your outcome . They are just covering their @r$e and will require tests regardless of what your very highly qualified specialist may see as a good idea. They have the power to require it and you put up with it or go jump..

 

Stented and multiple bypass pilots have regained class one medical status since about 1987, up till which time there was a complete ban. It's reasonable that they be monitored in a not unreasonable way. Not all cases are the same. It's possible to end up with a fully normal heart if the damage wasn't too severe. In most cardiac events with a blockage some heart muscle is lost as the tissue dies when no oxygen is available. The heart has a remarkable ability to "adjust" over time to new situations and new pathways for the flow are often formed. Monitored people can be in reality, much safer than people who have never had a check up, but may in fact be a walking time bomb . Nev

 

 

[ian00798]

Well Ian...this will tell you something.As part of my diabeties my professor who was looking after me wanted me to have a stress test, I had a stress test on my heart and did the treadmill thing for the 15 minutes up the hill and he said to me that all was fine except for the very last part of the test which showed I MAY have a small blockage.

Less than 6 months later I am working at my farm and was working hard shifting trees and stuff and I had to lay down that arvo as I felt stuffed..the next morning we left there for the 300km drive home. That night I felt like crap and had a pain down my neck...no chest pain or arm pain but did feel a little nausea. I looked up the ipad and said to the mrs..I think I better go to the hospital I think there maybe a issue with the ticker.

 

Went to the hospital they did the blood test for a heart attack and it was fine so 8 hrs later after the wait they said we can keep you in overnight or seeing you have pvt health we think you should go to the Holy Spirit and get a agiogram its the only way to tell what is going on. So I said ok no worries I want to check it to make sure. They ambulanced me down there and went on the table the next morning.

 

So I am lying there watching this huge tv screen and this wire going into my heart and all this dye being squirted around and the cardiologist says" that will be 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 bypasses there fella" ...and of course I said WHAT!!!! not even 6 months ago I had a stress test and I was told I was still pretty good and not to worry. he says this is the only real way to tell...they wanted to keep me in for the 3 days until they could get me on the table but I said I have to go home and get my life in order just incase I drop off this mortal coil during the op...they said they didnt want me to go as I literally could drop dead on the spot I was so bad. I managed to get home and sort out all the business stuff and pay all my accounts and leave the "in the event of my death" file with passwords etc for accounts and other stuff then fronted back to the hospital and got 3 bypasses not the 4 as they said the 4th one wouldnt make that much difference.

 

So after the operation I saw the heart surgeon and asked him why I had all 4 arteries 90% blocked. I said I been a fat ba@stard and smoked most of my adult life so I gather that was it...he says well that didnt help but what got you was long term out of control diabeties why do you think you are hearing more about that now. I knew I was diabetic and was on pills for many years but never really treated the disease with any respect...its a different matter now I can tell you. I am right on it all the time and manage it better than most I would think to the point now my HBA1C was 9.9 is now down to 6.7 with less insulin that I have ever used before. The doc reckons my pancreas has actually started to recover and work now.

 

So even with all this info CASA still say I am too big a risk.....what a crock...I am actually probably more healthier and least likely to have a medical event than at least half the pilots in rec and pvt GA

Have you considered asking for a medical with the condition that you have a safety pilot on board? I know it's not ideal but if it lets you move into some of the aircraft like a C172/182 it would still be worth it, and if your doing it recreationally then it's not that horrible to have to have a safety pilot on board. Doing the RPL conversion opens up a lot of options and gives you the chance to develop your skills further.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Well to be honest I have no real desire to get back into a 172 or bigger. I did start my PPL back in the mid 90's in a 172 but got knocked back on the medical right before going for the licence as I was becoming a diabetic so that stumped me. It was many years later when I found rec flying and went down that path and love it. A weight increase would be great as that will allow the safer slightly larger aircraft I want to fly..also much cheaper too so you can continue flying and its affordable when you become a pensioner too. 16ltr an hour of Mgas is a damn sight better than 30plus ltr and hour of Avgas not to mention the service cost of having to use LAME's

 

2 POB is all I want and I dare to say most on here want as well. The CTA side would be great just to be able to transit but it will be all or nothing so I can easily live with the nothing

 

 

[Geoff_H]

If you are fit and healthy and want to know your risk of dropping dead get a calcium score. I am no cardiologist but mine tells me it is an indication of how much plaque that you have in your arteries that may break off and go into your heart and block it. Stress tests will also help to a lesser extent if they ultrasound your heart under stress. But don't rely on me, I am an amateur.

 

 

[Yenn]

Nobody seems to have noticed that the original post said that the heart attack rate had gone up dramatically in the last few years. They don't know the reason why.

 

I have regular checks by my GP and have to have an annual to drive, due to my age. Now I need to worry that nothing will be spotted and I could drop dead, because the causal factor is unknown.