Flying and congenital heart disease

Only those congenital defects carrying a very low risk of complication (either before or after surgical correction) were considered.

Atrial Septal Defects: (a) Ostium primum defects should be treated with caution either before or after surgical correction because of the risk of progressive conduction disorders and mitral regurgitation. (b) Ostium secundum defects could be considered for licensing (if the defect is small) or with surgical repair if the right ventricular systolic pressure is normal, (c) Sinus venosus defects - if too small to require surgical repair, licensing may be considered provided ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring shows no evidence of arrhythmias. Surgery increases the risk of sino-atrial disease, thus licensing should be permitted only where there is no evidence of arrhythmia and adequate cardiological follow-up is possible.

Ventricular Septal Defects: Subjects with very small defects not requiring surgical closure may be considered for licensing. Subjects who have had surgical closure have a risk of arrhythmias and should be carefully evalauated.

Pulmonary Stenosis: If mild (either before or after surgery) may be licensed, but regular assessment perhaps including right heart catheterization is needed to demonstrate stability of the lesion.

Persistent Ductus Arteriosus: Surgical closure should be recommended on diagnosis and need not affect licensing.

Isolated Bicuspid Aortic Valve: Need not debar from licensing, but careful annual examination (with electrocardiogram 2-D echocardiography and fluoroscopy) is required to detect calcification, stenosis or regurgitation.

Coarctation of Aorta: Subjects who have had a repair before the age of 12 years may be considered for licensing after examination of other risk factors (blood pressure at rest and on exercise in particular). Those repaired over the age of 12 may be considered for restricted licensing if normotensive.

These recommendations will need review in the light of further long-term follow-up studies currently under way.