Pulmonary Valve Stenosis- ATC Related

M

mbalunda

New Member
At birth I was diagonised with Pulmonary Valve Stenosis. Since it was caught early I was always under a doctors supervision regarding the issue. I went to Childrens Memorial Hospital in Chicago on a yearly basis for checkups. Basically just had EKG and ECHO cardiograms on a yearly basis. When I was 12 years old I ended up having a balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. After the procedure I continued to go to the hospital for regular visits until I was about 21 or 22 years old. At that time they decided my condition wasn't likely to change and that I would no longer need to go on a regular basis, but that it was something I should obviously be aware of in the future. It's been several years since I've been(I'm now 26). I was never given any type of physical restrictions nor have I ever had to take any type of medication(Besides antibotics before any oral procedures to prevent Endocarditis). Is this something that could be medically disqualifying for me? I certainly hope it isn't, since it's never really been an issue. Even after the procedure I was back to playing sports within 2 weeks so this isn't anything that has effected the way I've been able to live my life at all.

I guess my question is would the FAA consider this any type of red flag in my medical history? In addition to that would it be wise to visit my cardiologist to get a more current picture of what is going on in case I get far enough into the process to need medical clearence? After my 21st birthday I was referred to the Northwestern Medical Center in Chicago, but I've not been for a checkup since. I imagine it's probably a good idea to get my medical history updated....just looking for any advice you can provide.

Thanks
Mike
 
The guidelines state "an applicant must have no medical history of any type of heart disease". You should call the Regional Flight Surgeon's office at (847) 294-7491 and ask them. They are the ones who make the final decisions.
 
My Flight Surgeon said:
The guidelines state "an applicant must have no medical history of any type of heart disease". You should call the Regional Flight Surgeon's office at (847) 294-7491 and ask them. They are the ones who make the final decisions.
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Well that certainly sounds grim.

What happens when a controller develops some type of heart condition later? Are they automatically removed from their position due to health?
 
I checked the medical conditions that are specifically disqualifying under 14 CFR part 6...while there were several heart related items listed it didn't seem as though any type of stenosis was listed as disqualifying.

I have contacted the regional flight suregon though, so we'll see what they have to say about it. I was curious if this is something you could get a special issuance for it your doctors concluded there was no risk of future complications.
 
My Flight Surgeon said:
The Special Issuance is based on the FAA's decision about tge risks, not your doctor's opinions.
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I'm not familiar with TGE, what does that stand for?

Would the FAA perform their own exam or do they consult your medical records, or is there some type of rating system for various medical problems?

Sorry for all the questions. Just wondering what I may possibly encounter in the future.
 
Tge is my big fingers producing a typo, it should be "the". They review your medical records and may ask for specific test results.
 
I finally received a response from the Great Lake Flight Suregon. Assuming my condition has not worsened recently I should be good to go. The jist of his message was this:
In all, it is possible to gain a medical clearance as an air traffic controller. It will take some effort on your part to provide all of the supplemental information.
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