Orthopaedic
Implant
Patients:
issues in airport screening
A survey was recently carried out of 155 British very day passengers are
patients with knee replacements to evaluate their
experiences negotiating airport security. In
E
screened by walk-through metal
detectors (WTMD) to determine
whether or not they are carrying
quantities of metal that may
pose a threat to aviation. Most
addition, with the cooperation of the BAA, a test law-abiding passengers divest themselves of
metallic items before they are screened, yet
was made of the detection capabilities of certain there are many that are simply unable to do
so, as the metal on their person is the result
scanners when screening patients with knee of orthopaedic implants. We set out to
establish the detection realities and the
replacements, as well as a variety of other metal associated concerns of the passengers and
airport operators.
implants used in trauma and elective surgery. Unlike previous studies from the United
Kingdom, virtually all patients with a total
Mr Iain McNamara MRCS, being the survey’s lead knee replacement (TKR) activated the
WTMDs. Conversely, those with partial knee
author, and Miss Dimitra Leivadiotou MRCS, replacements, referred to in medical
terminology as unicompartmental
Mr N. Cole, head of terminal at Stansted airport replacements, did not. Surprisingly, from the
medical team’s perspective, large trauma
and Mr Jai Chitnavis FRCS consultant surgeon, implants escaped detection.
We learned that patients are concerned
share their findings in determining suggested and about negotiating airport security but are
neither informed about possible detection
actual standard operating procedures at British nor about security procedures by their
physicians.
airports, the implications for which could have Our survey further demonstrated
differences in how passengers with metal
global significance. implants are screened by airport security
24 December 2007 Aviationsecurityinternational
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