time since heart attack+stent?

[desertrat]

I'm 67 and have always wanted to learn to fly. I'm semi-retired now, and have been talking to a few people lately who are encouraging me to get my PPL.

However, I had a heart attack in 2011 when I was 55 and they put a stent into my LAD artery. I have not had any problems since, nor any angina.

Since 2015, my BP has had a tendency to jump around, but nobody knows why. The only medication I take is a BP med.

I'm curious what I might have to deal with in order to get a health clearance to fly.

 

[Stewartb]

https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/dec_cons/disease_prot/coronary

 

[desertrat]

https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/dec_cons/disease_prot/coronary

Thanks, I've read that. It's written for someone who HAS a license, and THEN has some kind of cardiac issue.

I do NOT nor have I ever had any sort of pilot's license or certification, and my medical condition happened more than 6 months ago. It was 12 years ago, in fact. I don't even know where to get copies of the medical records that thing mentions at this point (the hospital was sold), or where any of the cardiologists who treated me might be today. The one I had for 9 months retired, the other three left the hospital after a labor dispute. And I moved out of that city and state in 2013.

I read another thing that mentioned a 5-year window for LICENSED pilots who HAD a cardiac event and wanted to keep their license active.

 

[craig d]

to summarize the link above, the FAA will want the records from your event in 2011, including hospital records and cath images and stent details, a current detailed report from your treating physician, blood work and a new maximal stress test. the stress test requirements are very specific and differ depending on what class Medical you’re applying for. most importantly they want to see that you’ve eliminated all possible risk factors, I.e., lost weight, lowered cholesterol, blood pressure regulated, quit smoking, exercise regularly, etc. obviously they are also interested in any other medical conditions you might have.

I just went thru this with my local AP/IA, same age and history as you, except his was the RCA. All his reports were good, he went 10:30 on the stress test and should be a good candidate for a Special Issuance. we were not able to get his original hospital records as he was away from home when he had the event. his packet was shipped off to OKC on Monday, so we should hear something in the next 3-6 weeks. I’m worried they may push back on the original hospital records so we’ll see.

 

[bbchien]

First time:

Copy of the cath report to insure the anatomy meets FAA specs
Discharge summary.\

Current (within 90 days prior to application):
Stress test - 9 minute run to HR 138, includes tracings, tech's wroksheet, formal report
Fasting glucose and lipids
Cardiologist's evaluation as to your CAD risk gfactor managmeent, exam, H&P.

 

[DFH65]

Go sport pilot. If MOSAIC goes through (probably will) you will have many options.

 

[desertrat]

to summarize the link above, the FAA will want the records from your event in 2011, including hospital records and cath images and stent details, a current detailed report from your treating physician, blood work and a new maximal stress test. the stress test requirements are very specific and differ depending on what class Medical you’re applying for. most importantly they want to see that you’ve eliminated all possible risk factors, I.e., lost weight, lowered cholesterol, blood pressure regulated, quit smoking, exercise regularly, etc. obviously they are also interested in any other medical conditions you might have.

I just went thru this with my local AP/IA, same age and history as you, except his was the RCA. All his reports were good, he went 10:30 on the stress test and should be a good candidate for a Special Issuance. we were not able to get his original hospital records as he was away from home when he had the event. his packet was shipped off to OKC on Monday, so we should hear something in the next 3-6 weeks. I’m worried they may push back on the original hospital records so we’ll see.

Several months after the incident, I requested a copy of my files, and got 50-60 pages of stuff, but no images. I've got it in a box somewhere. How long do hospitals hold on to records like these? A few years ago, I had a GP request the files and she said they faxed her some stuff, but I'm not sure how much.

I don't get why they care how far we can run if flying involves sitting on your butt for hours at a time without being able to pee. If you crash, do they expect you to jump out of the wreckage and haul ass away as fast as you can in case it blows up later?

But wait ... aren't the pilots usually the first to be killed in a plane crash?

 

[Half Fast]

Do you really want to spend most of a year waiting for the FAA medical folks to decide whether you can fly when you could be out flying an airplane instead?

Get a Sport Pilot certificate and avoid all the medical BS. You’ll be able to fly yourself and a passenger anywhere in the US and the Bahamas in daytime VFR conditions, which is sufficient for what most of us do anyway.

 

[desertrat]

Go sport pilot. If MOSAIC goes through (probably will) you will have many options.

Do you really want to spend most of a year waiting for the FAA medical folks to decide whether you can fly when you could be out flying an airplane instead?

Get a Sport Pilot certificate and avoid all the medical BS. You’ll be able to fly yourself and a passenger anywhere in the US and the Bahamas in daytime VFR conditions, which is sufficient for what most of us do anyway.

Thanks for pointing this out. I've found a few articles and they shed quite a bit of light on all of this. Any guesses on when it might take effect?

It's interesting that since my heart attack, I've been taking an L-Arginine supplement religiously. Of course, my various docs have all dismissed this b/c it's a nutritional supplement -- never mind that it does the same thing as a nitro pill under the tongue, only it's not as powerful.

I've gotten some cardiac calcium scans and they show only 4 spots; since <10 is considered "negligible", that's quite amazing -- and something my docs also brush off as meaningless. So I've been wanting to get an angiogram, which is usually done via a cardiac catheterization. However, it requires a doctor's referral; no insurance will cover it without strong justification; and from what I'm told they're pretty expensive, not to mention risky and highly invasive. In fact, they won't do it just because I'm curious and want to really KNOW whether or not the L-Arginine supplement is actually making a difference. My docs don't seem to care enough either.

Yet it seems the FAA requires such a procedure annually "just because" ... ?

My doc has told me there's a new test (I forget the name) that does the same thing, only it simply requires an injection of dye without a cath. I've been trying to get one of them; my GP sent me to a cardiologist, and he refused (partly, I suspect, b/c he didn't want to have to try justifying it to the insurance company) and wanted to schedule an echo/stress test instead, which is a more routine test. I hate dealing with these people!

But maybe the FAA could keep up with improvements in medical procedures, and consider a cardiac calcium scan before a full angiogram. I mean, the general lack of calcified plaque would tend to correlate with lower levels of overall plaque buildup. And the newer angiogram procedure that does not require a full cath is far safer than one that does.

 

[Half Fast]

But maybe the FAA could keep up with improvements in medical procedures,....

Hold not thy breath, o ye aspiring pilot. FAA aeromed moves with the speed of a glacier with a limp.

Any guesses on when it might take effect?

Sport Pilot has been in effect for many years. If you mean MOSAIC, not sure, maybe next year?

Keep in mind that SP training applies toward PP, so if you decide later on to get Private, you won’t have wasted anything.