The Flight

As an interventional cardiologist, I routinely perform risk-laden procedures on patients. Coronary angiograms, angiolplasty and stenting are to name some. Theses procedures have inherent risk including bleeding, infection, perforation, heart attack (ironically), stroke, kidney failure, limb loss and even death. These risks are rare with risks ranging from 1% to 1:10,000.

Akin to taking a flight which has inherent risks of being late, engine failure, landing in water, crashing into a mountain and even death, there is always an alternative which is not flying in the first place. However, sometime one needs to fly regardless of the plane's mechanical condition, regardless of the weather and regardless of risks beyond one's control. What risks an individual takes to proceed are really up to the individual.

I liken the patient to the plane and myself to the pilot and my team to the crew. No one wants a failed or complicated flight as no one wants a procedural complication. No one wants a plane crash as no one wants for the patient to suffer. However, there are inherent risks. Even the best pilot and plane can hit birds and end up in the Hudson.

We try to optimize risk by taking extreme measures but despite this we can not negate risk to zero. One thing that remains certain, when risk benefit is calculated appropriately and the indications and alternatives are explained, flying remains the safest mode of transportation.