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SAA supports new DVT study
South African Airways is to give its support to ‘The Best Study’*, claiming to be the largest-ever international independent medical research project into the link between the formation of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and all conditions related to flying as a form of travel.
The project, which starts today, will be conducted by an international team of medical professionals from South Africa and Britain. It will examine all factors causing individuals to be particularly at risk of developing DVT. These include, among others, height, weight, gender, age, in-flight activity, genetic profile and seating position.
The study will conduct tests on 1000 passengers flying from London Heathrow Airport to Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) on South African Airways flights, Mondays to Fridays, until May 9 2002.
Professor Barry Jacobson, who will head the month-long project, has appealed to the trade to support the study and is calling for volunteers – 500 from economy and 500 from business class. Volunteers, prior to boarding their flights in London, will complete a confidential questionnaire, have one of their ankles measured and give a blood sample. During the flight, they need to record their fluid intake and movement and on arrival, hand the information to the medical team at JIA. Volunteers will be first to disembark from the aircraft and be transported to the Airports Company SA (Acsa) VIP lounge, where they will repeat the blood sample and ankle measurement. An ultrasound will be done on both legs to determine if any clots developed during the flight. Refreshments will be available and their luggage stored separately and kept under guard. The procedure is expected to last around 30 minutes.
All participants will receive 5000 Voyager miles from SAA as an added incentive.
Professor Jacobson said it was a misperception that DVT was linked only to flying. He said that it can result from any mode of transport, especially where travel is undertaken for more than three hours without mobility.
* ‘The Best Study’ stands for ‘Business-class vs Economy-class Syndrome as a cause of Thrombosis’.
Read our previous stories:
1-Feb-2002 High Court DVT ruling is bad news for airlines
30-Nov-2001 Pregnant women advised to seek medical advice before flying
29-Oct-2001 Beleaguered BA and Virgin now face DVT action
20-Aug-2001 World Health Org: DVT research needed “without delay”
30-Jul-2001 DVT: the next chapter
17-Jul-2001 Airlines face lawsuits over blood clots
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