Working overseas and cardiovascular diseases: application of a screening method on Oil&Gas employees
Cappelli, M.I.; Macchione, M.; Pulini, S.; Aquilina, T.; Cancanelli, G.
Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro Ed Ergonomia 34(3 Suppl): 643-645
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 1592-7830 PMID: 23405740 Document Number: 661743
Working overseas is a reality for decades in the Oil&Gas Industry and many noxae impact on the cardiovascular system. In fitness to work evaluation the physician should consider besides the conventional risk factors, the presence of cardiovascular diseases, and prevent their evolution. A cardiovascular screening and follow up after 2 years was carried out on 42 Oil&Gas employees, over 45 of age, during medical fitness to work. The main tests were ECG, exercise tolerance test (ETT) and echocardiocolordoppler, completed with other instrumental tests. Cardiovascular diseases causing unfitness to working overseas occurred in 7%, blood hypertension in 23%. The screening permitted to diagnose and correct acute cardiovascular diseases, that caused unfitness to work, and disease that can get worse related to occupational risk. Moreover it was fundamental for evaluation of fitness and timing of health surveillance.