Inflight management of pneumothorax - Is there a doctor on the plane?

Medical emergencies on board are on the rise and attributed to an increase in commercial air traffic with an ambulant ageing general population with an occult or overt medical condition. Moreover, travellers with respiratory diseases are susceptible to in-flight events due to lower atmospheric pressure in a pressurized cabin which not only predisposes to hypoxemia but also pneumothorax as a result of gas expansion within enclosed pulmonary parenchymal spaces based on Boyle's law [1].
Source: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research