My friend was hospitalized due to an airline flight

[edhopper]

He had a lung embolism and was hospitalized. He is late 50s and relatively good health.
The Drs best guess is the embolism started in his leg caused by a multi-leg flight he recently took in a cramped/full plane.
He sat in the row in front of the exit, so couldn't even recline his seat.
Can the airlines be sued for removing almost all the leg room and causing serious injury?

[ohiosmith]

1. You fly at your own risk!

[jberryhill]

2. No

Deep vein thrombosis is a common hazard of flying.

[edhopper]

3. And the more the reduce the leg room

the more common it will be.
How many people will have to die before they stop endangering their customers.

[jberryhill]

4. And where did you get that "fact" from?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2012-02-08-economy-class-dVt-syndrome-myth-busted/

The finding relating to window seats was discussed further. The study authors suggest that long-distance travellers sitting in a window seat tend to have limited mobility, which is responsible for their increased risk of DVT.

However, the review did not find any definitive evidence to support the theory that dehydration, alcohol intake or sitting in an economy seat (compared with sitting in business class) increases the risk of DVT or pulmonary embolism during a long-distance flight. On this basis, they conclude that travelling in economy class does not increase the risk of developing a blood clot, even during long-distance travel. However, they believe that remaining immobile for long periods of time does.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126234&page=1#.UDzlP6B62So

Blood Clot Kills First-Class Passenger

...

Dr. Mark Adelman, the director of vascular surgery at New York City's Bellevue Hospital, said blot clots develop when people don't move, whether or not they're in a roomy or cramped space.

"It's is a misnomer, 'economy class syndrome,'" he said. "It can happen in first class. It can happen on a train, a bus or your car. It could happen in your living room if you were to sit there for eight hours without moving."

[edhopper]

5. That is new info

I had not seen.

Of course the less leg room, the less one is able to move and stretch (and there are long periods on flights when you must stay seated) so I would say that the ridiculously narrow leg room now on some planes would still be a contributing factor.

[jberryhill]

6. Compression socks

I do an ungodly amount of air travel for work, and used to have all kinds of issues with swelling. Ever since I started wearing compression socks on the plane, it's been much better.

[edhopper]

9. Good info, Thanks.

[uponit7771]

10. But what if they're KNOWINGLY increasing the risk?

[jberryhill]

11. How?

Studies of the incidence of DVT show no difference between sitting in economy and sitting in first class.

What is it they are doing to increase the risk?

[Mmm_Bacon]

7. People are so eager to sue...

... and I don't think they understand what it really means.

It takes time and money and usually an emotional toll as well.

Everyone seems to jump to blame when the daily accidents of life happen. Especially in a case like this where there are ways to mitigate risk (moving around, compression stockings or even an aspirin.)

Of course one could do all of those things and it could still happen.

[edhopper]

8. Forget the suing part

which I used as a rhetorical point.

But let's talk about the airlines endangering their passengers.

[HipChick]

12. Nope...I bought compression socks from the local dollar store..

I'm doing a lot of transatlantic travel, min 8hr flights...they work fine..

[yawnmaster]

13. There are a number of ways to avoid this, one discussed above being...

compression socks when traveling.
But also get up and walk around.
Yes there are sometimes long periods where one must remain in one's seat, but there are also long periods where one can get up and move about the cabin. Use the time.
Plus, I'm not sure reducing leg room is a cause, other than perhaps making one less likely to get up and walk about.
But that choice is still the passengers.