here - Little Hearts Matter

Ask the ExpertsHere we ask professionals to answer some of the commonquestions asked by our members.Suzie HutchinsonChief ExecutiveLittle Hearts MatterWe are planning a holiday abroad and we areare wondering where it would be safe to go?It is always lovely to be able to plan aholiday abroad but it is also importantto look at each destination, the travelto the country and the services that areavailable when you get there beforebooking anything especially when youhave a child with a cardiac disability.Here are some tips to think about whenplanning your holiday.1. Speak to your cardiologistFirstly it is essential to check that yourchild is well enough to go abroad for aholiday. Speak to your cardiologistabout holidays when you have aplanned outpatient's appointment. Ifthey are happy for your child to goabroad start looking for suitabledestinations.2. How far away is your destination?Low level, short flights are possiblefrom early on but many cardiologistsprefer that long distance high altitudeflights are not attempted until after thethird (Fontan) stage of surgery.3. Will you need oxygen on the flight?Your cardiologist will tell you if youneed to plan to take oxygen with youon the flight. All aircraft have a smallbottle of oxygen on board but if there isan increased risk that your child mayneed oxygen during a flight they willexpect you to supply your own. Thismay affect the cost of your holiday asyou may need to book an extra seat totransport the oxygen and you will needto arrange to refill a bottle at yourdestination if you have used the supplyon the flight.4. Which are the safest destinations?When planning where to go on holidayit is important to consider not only thebeach, pool and/or sunshine, you alsoneed to look at the medical careprovided locally and how your childwould be transported to a hospital ifthey needed more extensive treatment.Island holidays may not be a good ideaif transport to medical care on themainland is not easy.5. What sort of insurance do I need?Whenever you travel abroad it is agood idea to ensure that you have fullmedical insurance, but it is essentialwhen travelling with a child who has adisability. Insurance companies willexpect a detailed letter from yourcardiologist that states that your childis fit to travel. When planning yourinsurance make sure that there isprovision for your child to be flownhome if needed and that one parentcan accompany them.6. How hot is your destination?Although children with heart problemslike warm water to swim in and lovelysunshine, if it is too hot they canbecome dehydrated very quicklyespecially if they are on diuretics.Think about the heatat the time of year youare travelling. Augustholidays can beblisteringly hot. If yourchild is on Warfarin,dehydration can affecttheir INR levels. It isuseful to take aCoagucheck machinewith you on holiday tocheck dosage andclear instructions onchanges in each dailydose if the INR levelchanges.7. MedicationMany of the children'smedications need tobe kept refrigerated so check to see ifthere is a fridge available in yourroom. Think about how muchmedication you wish to take with youand plan in advance your medicationrequest from your doctor.8. Local travel?Think about how you are going to getaround when you get to your holidaydestination. Is the beach near yourhotel or holiday home? Do you want togo exploring? Will you need apushchair or a wheelchair to makesure that your disabled child can takepart in everything whilst you are away?9. Holiday typeIf your holiday is an activity based one,will your disabled child be able to takepart safely? How will you split activitiesif your heart-healthy children want todo something different?Remember that the LHM team areavailable if you need any help withplanning your holiday.13