Flying may tax the hearts of apnea sufferers

When pigs fly, they need oxygen.

"People with severe obstructive sleep apnea taking commercial airline flights may be at greater risk of adverse events from stress on the heart than healthy people, researchers warned at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 meeting in Toronto."

Who's at risk?

"Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, occurs when soft tissues in the airways collapse during sleep and temporarily block breathing. This can happen dozens of times an hour, leading to daytime sleepiness and eventually to increases in blood pressure."

OSA is a fat person's problem.

But we are all at risk, as in danger.

"If the results of the current study are typical, 'half of the patients with OSA would require supplemental oxygen in-flight if current guidelines (for those with lung disease) were strictly followed,' she noted."

If you thought shoe bombs were an issue, just light up an oxygen canister and see what happens.

Got a match?

TSA better hope not.