Window Seat Poses Risk For Clots On Airplanes

By: Pat Prescott
02/08/2012 09:55 AM ET

A window is one of the most popular seats on an airplane, but it also poses a risk for blood clots, according to new research found that it may not be the quality of class you are placed in on a flight, but how close you are to the exterior of the aircraft.

The authors of the research said, “For those on flights over four hours, immobility during the flight and window seating (especially for obese persons) also increase the risk.”

Blood clots tend to form when people are sitting for long periods of time and the blood flow through our muscles and veins in the legs becomes restricted. It tends to pool in deeper spots running a risk of becoming a clot.

The research finds that those that sit furthest from the aisle seat, such as the window seat are more probable to run the risk of forming a clot, due to the fact they are less likely to want to disturb the people next to them by getting up.

They also indicated that 1 in every 4,600 people actually develop a blood clot and suffer from a venous thromboembolism, which is when part of clot breaks off and blocks a vessel feeding the lung, causing a pulmonary embolism, within a month of a flight lasting more than four hours.

Dr. Mark Crowther of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada said, “Long-distance travelers sitting in a window seat tend to have limited mobility, which increases their risk for DVT. This risk increases as other factors are present.”

New guidelines suggest that passengers who are traveling on long flights should periodically get up and walk around the cabin and stretch their muscles to avoid any problems. Elderly people who may not be able to move as freely should wear compression stockings.

Source: Window Seat Risk