Can helicopter rides cause seizures?

A University of Rochester case report suggests light streaming through whirling helicopter rotor blades during emergency transport can cause seizures in some.

The findings, published in the journal Prehospital Emergency Care, suggest that the phenomenon is an under-recognized but highly preventable complication of helicopter transport.

This shouldn't preclude transporting a patient from point A to point B in an aircraft, lead author Dr. Jeremy Cushman, an attending physician at the university ' s medical center, said in a statement. But this concern does need to register as a legitimate risk for a small number of patients.In a one example, paramedics noted flickering bursts of sunlight cast across the patient's face; the patient's eyes soon began blinking, and his facial muscles began jerking in coordinated rhythm.

The patient, stable and displaying strong vital signs, immediately fell into a seizure, despite paramedics' attempts to block the flashes from the patient's face.