Does a passenger who underwent surgery to insert plates need to carry a medical

[tuti]

certificate while flying? My father had a plate and some screws fitted in his leg during a surgery for a fracture 10 years back. My question is: does he need to possess a medical certificate to travel in international flights (to Europe)? Or should he carry his X-rays? He is worried that the security personnel would question him if the machine "beeps" during the check up before boarding the flight...

[sarge927]

Your father isn't required to do so by any law, but it would help during the screening process. They'll probably have to hand-wand him anyway, but it's better if the screeners know about it first.

[malnaltis]

It depends on the repair of the injury and the metal alloy used. I have a friend that had a repair of his upper leg. When traveling (Domestic or international) he carries a certificate and a wallet size x-ray provided by his doctor. I have traveled with him many times with no problems.
My wife has a plate in her upper left arm from a nasty break. It was repaired using ceramic plates. She carries no medical papers and we have been traveling international and domestic with not one question.
Your doctor can advise what/if anything is needed.

[Sponge-Ted Scotch-Pants]

I have a fake hip.
The surgeon gave me a creditcard type of ID noting the date of surgery , type hip etc...it even has a xray shot of it!

It certainly does help when going thru security.

Funny... I get alot of quizical looks from other passengers when I give the guard the card...
Some guy to the right said to his wife,
"Wow! He must be CIA or something!"
I then put on my "Gameface" and proceded to the gate.

Too funny!

[ethansma24]

I don't know that it's required, but better to be safe than sorry. Especially when traveling internationally.

[tonalc1]

It would be a good idea to bring a note from the doctor.

Also, he should notify the security agent of his condition *before* going through the arch; they can pull him aside to do a different kind of screening.

If he has someone traveling with him, they should go through the screening arch before him so they can keep an eye on this bag as it comes out of the screening machine.