Our Story

Several years ago, one of my physically fit patients experienced a life-threatening pulmonary embolism after taking multiple long-haul flights. Although he miraculously survived, this incident prompted us to investigate the prevalence of blood clots in an industry where over 4 billion individuals fly annually.

Long-haul flights significantly raise the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots, by 4-20% among airline passengers, crew, and pilots for several weeks following their flights.

We are building an Aviation Health Community which looks to identify health problems associated with long-haul travel using health surveillance to formulate innovative clinical solutions to help mitigate them; the consequence is the development of the first digital Flying Health Program (FHP) by registered clinicians that looks to standardise airline anti-VTE travel and is a health essential for the all air travellers especially now with the era of new ultra-long-haul routes where physiological fatigue may become a factor leading to pathology due to immobility at altitude and where remote destinations lack adequate diagnostic and treatment centres.

FHP puts health safety first, enhances user travel experience, addresses duty of care for airlines, helps reduce claims and decreases the approx, 30,000 NHS long-haul related patient admissions per year. It aims to provide pilots, flight crew, passengers with better primary health strategy's to help prevent blood clots i.e. deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. This program offers better educational awareness around flying risk factors, precise NHS physio led on-screen inflight exercise guides for the cabin, galley, cockpit areas.

Using compression technology solutions to address clots during air travel; we recommend using T.E.D.® Anti-Embolism Stockings. Widely prescribed by healthcare professionals worldwide, T.E.D. are among the most clinically proven and it is highly likely that if you have been hospitalised, you may have been provided with a pair of T.E.D.s. These stockings effectively help reduce swelling and the risk of clots in deep veins for patients in recovery and long-haul travellers by more than 50%.

In addition we have developed the Measure to Fit® online calculator to simplify the T.E.D. measuring process. This user-friendly tool helps you navigate through the complex range of stocking sizes, which can be challenging for clinicians who constantly refer to sizing tables. It quickly determines your size and conveniently ships out to you, ensuring optimal functionality of the products.

Our commitment to your well-being extends beyond product recommendations. We have created a vibrant health community consisting of pilots, flight attendants, and passengers. Through this community, we continuously gather insights on VTE and related health issues.

We invite you to join us in exploring health risks associated with air travel and finding innovative solutions to mitigate them. Our dedication to research has recently led us to introduce FruitFlow®, the world's first natural, scientifically supported dietary supplement that promotes healthy blood flow and possesses an approved health claim (Article 13.5) in the European Union.

Dr Nic Andela and team