Pectus Excavatum

[Guest Flying_Knight]

I am a member or AFROTC Det. 159 and have just been selected as a pilot candidate. I am worried that my pectus excavatum surgery will DQ me when I go to Brooks AFB next month for my Flying Class I. I was curious to know if anyone can give me advice on what I could do to be able to pass this. I have made contact with the doctor that did the surgery for a consult, but not sure if there is other documents that I can bring to help myself out. I would appreciate any help that anyone can give me, maybe even someone that has been through this situation before.

P.S. I like the board and think that this is a great resource. I will advertise to the other members of my detachment.

Flying_Knight.

[Guest flyin engineer]

Hey i have a question about that Pectus Excavatum. Is that where your sternum sort of "caves in"? Mine does a little and ive seen people that have it a little more pronounced than my case. I was unaware that you could have surgery. And just curious would it be cosmetic or did you have it severe enough to cause health problems?

Like i said we may not be talkin about the same thing, haha....just curious!

[Guest Flying_Knight]

Yes, that is what pectus excavatum is. I had my operation when I was 8. My parents told me that is was not life threating, but it would have hindered my cardo-vascular rate. I believe that it is now generally considered cosmetic unless very serve. I hope this helps.

Flying_Knight

[Guest F16PilotMD]

Tough one. Never encountered before. I can find nothing in AFI48-123 about this...I need to keep looking, it has to be in there somewhere. You must have a bar of some sort in your chest. That's usually how these are fixed. If so, you will be affected by section A7.16.1.15 (below). Otherwise, section A7.16.1.19 may apply (below). I'll let you know if I find anything specific but I would expect some problems from this. If nothing else it will cause the same confusion I now have.

A7.16.1.15. Foreign body in the trachea, bronchus, lung, or chest wall.

A7.16.1.19. Congenital malformation or acquired deformities which reduce the chest capacity or

diminish respiratory or cardiac functions to a degree which interferes with vigorous physical exertion

or produce disfigurement when the examinee is dressed.

[Guest Mumphy24]

I have it, and it's never bothered me. I didn't know they even had surgery for it. Good luck.

[Guest Flying_Knight]

F16PilotMD,

I do have a metal pin in my chest, and I think that's what going to get me. I applied to the Air Force Academy and went through the DODMERB twice, and they had me take a Cardo-pulmonary function test. According to the department head at Jupiter Medical in Florida, the rate at which I exhale is slower than a "normal" person. He feels that this is completely normal for me, my body has just grown up with it.

The question I have, would it help for me to bring all these consults and supporting documentation to Brooks? I know they can do anything and everything on spot. I have been told by a Army Flight Surgeon that when he was in, people would do there homework and bring in stuff, and it usually helped there cause. I'm just trying to cover all bases since this has been a life goal since I was 6 to fly.

Thank you for your help. I know this much take a lot of time out of your day to read and reply to all these posts. I appreciate any and all help you and anyone else can give me.

Flying_Knight

[Guest F16PilotMD]

I would brind everything you can about your surgery and your cardio-pulmonary eval. I'm pretty sure they will DQ you for a foreign body ("pin") in your chest. I'm not sure what they will do as a result of your "history of pect excav" and surgery. Abnormal pulmonary function tests (PFTs) will have to be compared to the reg.

The real question is will they entertain a waiver application for any of the above. I'll be curious to hear about theri reaction. Let me know.

[Guest Flying_Knight]

Thanks for all the advice. I have orders to report to brooks for MFS on 9 May. I should find out there what the outcome of this whole thing will be. I am in the process of gathering all the extra info I think I will need. F16PilotMD, I will let you know what the outcome is, and post here for others who have this similar problem. Thank you for all your help and support.

Flying_Knight

[Guest zmanisfireproof]

Docs, here's a serious inquiry:

I have pectus excavatum. I have had no problems physically. But having it does some heavy damage to the psyche. I've always wanted to get it fixed, but I just haven't had the time or the money. But now that I'm about to graduate and go on active duty, maybe I can make the time and get this done while on casual.

Anyways, I wanted to know from a flight doc if this procedure would eliminate my qualification as a pilot candidate. The procedure I was looking at can be found here:

https://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Pa-St/P...tum-Repair.html

I'll be sitting around Shaw from June till the end of Oct, so I was thinking that maybe I could take a few weeks off and get this done this summer. Is this plausible, considering that I'd be starting UPT in November? Can I even go to UPT with a bar in my chest? How would this procedure and the after treatment affect my potential career as a pilot? I would love to get my chest fixed, but if it would jeopardize my pilot slot, forget it! It's not that important...

Any answers or tips is appreciated.

[Guest awfltdoc]

Docs, here's a serious inquiry:

I have pectus excavatum. I have had no problems physically. But having it does some heavy damage to the psyche. I've always wanted to get it fixed, but I just haven't had the time or the money. But now that I'm about to graduate and go on active duty, maybe I can make the time and get this done while on casual.

Anyways, I wanted to know from a flight doc if this procedure would eliminate my qualification as a pilot candidate. The procedure I was looking at can be found here:

https://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Pa-St/P...tum-Repair.html

I'll be sitting around Shaw from June till the end of Oct, so I was thinking that maybe I could take a few weeks off and get this done this summer. Is this plausible, considering that I'd be starting UPT in November? Can I even go to UPT with a bar in my chest? How would this procedure and the after treatment affect my potential career as a pilot? I would love to get my chest fixed, but if it would jeopardize my pilot slot, forget it! It's not that important...

Any answers or tips is appreciated.

Link didn't seem to work for me but I assume your talking about the Ravtich approach using an Adkin's Strut.

Well, you wouldn't have the time to get it done and heal for one. You'd have to wear a brace on your chest for 12-15 weeks. Then you'd wouldn't be healed until 3 months. At that point you'd have a wire (bar) in your chest (for two to three years) and I just don't think HQAETC is gonna waiver that.

Anyway, I understand why you would like to get it worked on. However, I don't think its gonna be possible in your time frame.

[Guest zmanisfireproof]

Link didn't seem to work for me but I assume your talking about the Ravtich approach using an Adkin's Strut.

Well, you wouldn't have the time to get it done and heal for one. You'd have to wear a brace on your chest for 12-15 weeks. Then you'd wouldn't be healed until 3 months. At that point you'd have a wire (bar) in your chest (for two to three years) and I just don't think HQAETC is gonna waiver that.

Anyway, I understand why you would like to get it worked on. However, I don't think its gonna be possible in your time frame.

Oh well... I assumed as much...

Thanks for the info doc. Like I said, I'd like to get my chest fixed, but I'd much rather be a pilot. I'll just have to live with this stupid chest of mine a little while longer...

*BTW, here is an updated link: https://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Pa-St/P...tum-Repair.html

Sorry for the one that didn't work.*

Edited October 31, 2007 by zmanisfireproof

[Guest knights]

Sorry to bring a old thread to life but i'm also a cadet at det 159 with Pectus Excavatum and it does not slow me down or ever bother me and I was wondering if this will affect me during the physical for pilot training. Should I see a specialist to get it on the record that this is not affecting me or what can I do to help things out when I do get the physical.

Thanks.

[Guest P27:17]

Sorry to bring a old thread to life but i'm also a cadet at det 159 with Pectus Excavatum and it does not slow me down or ever bother me and I was wondering if this will affect me during the physical for pilot training. Should I see a specialist to get it on the record that this is not affecting me or what can I do to help things out when I do get the physical.

Thanks.

Don't worry about it unless it restricts your breathing...causes pain...is noticable while wearing the uniform (subjective)...or prevents you from wearing military gear...

[Meatball]

I am a pilot select for OTS and have a mild case of PE. Not sure what my specific Haller index or depth is, but it is not very noticeable. However, at MEPS I had to go back for a "consult" and was sent to a hospital for chest x-rays. After this I was cleared for military service. I live a fairly active lifestyle but have never had issues. I am wondering if this is something that could potentially hold me up or DQ me at my flying class physical which I am expecting to compelte within the next couple weeks. One potential concern I could see an examiner having is the G-force loading of high performance aircraft on someone with PE, with regards to how it affects the heart and lungs. 

I am posting this to see if anyone can speak on this subject or has experience with PE. There is plenty of information on PE on the internet, but not much in the way of how it could affect military aviation. 

[Carrierbreak]

This information used to be covered in AFI48-123, but now lies in DODI6130.03 and is references in AFI48-123:
 

ENCLOSURE 4: MEDICAL STANDARDS FOR APPOINTMENT, ENLISTMENT, OR INDUCTION

11. LUNGS, CHEST WALL, PLEURA, AND MEDIASTINUM
h. Current chest wall malformation (754.89), including but not limited to pectus excavatum (754.81) or pectus carinatum (754.82), if these conditions interfere with vigorous physical exertion.


There are current and former fighter pilots in the USAF and USN/USMC with asymptomatic pectus excavatum.

[olevelo]

I have it and it never came up once in my initial or recurring flight physicals. It was looked at during my initial MEPS physical, noted, and that was that. I've also had several astronaut physicals, and flew high-g aircraft at Test Pilot School. So unless you have physical troubles due to it, don't even think twice about it. (And I'm actually fairly convinced it restricts my lung capacity, affecting my run performance...but I'm not dumb enough to ask the flight doc about it!)