Aviat Space Envir Md
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 2005
Diagnostic instrumentation aboard ISS: just-in-time training for non-physician crewmembers.
The performance of complex tasks on the International Space Station (ISS) requires significant preflight crew training commitments and frequent skill and knowledge refreshment. This report documents a recently developed "just-in-time" training methodology, which integrates preflight hardware familiarization and procedure training with an on-orbit CD-ROM-based skill enhancement. This "just-in-time" concept was used to support real-time remote expert guidance to complete ultrasound examinations using the ISS Human Research Facility (HRF). ⋯ Complex ultrasound experiments with expert guidance were performed with high accuracy following limited preflight training and multimedia based in-flight review, despite a 2-s communication latency. In-flight application of multimedia proficiency enhancement software, coupled with real-time remote expert guidance, facilitates the successful performance of ultrasound examinations on orbit and may have additional terrestrial and space applications.
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The current enthusiasm over the prospect of space tourism and the belief among many that such civilian spaceflight is imminent are characterized herein. There are many concerns about screening and certifying passengers for future spaceflight. Efforts by several organizations to propose such screening are cited. ⋯ But because of human problems with long-term exposure to microgravity, this phase requires rather conservative screening and extensive training. However, prior to discussing the passenger issues related to this early phase of space tourism, the reasons why Earth-like gravity, as well as microgravity, must be made available to spacefarers before space tourism can take place on a grand scale need to be explained. Finally, major passenger medical and behavioral issues of the first phase of orbital space tourism-long-term microgravity flight-are discussed.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · May 2005
Basic life support in microgravity: evaluation of a novel method during parabolic flight.
If a cardiac arrest occurs in microgravity, the aim of current emergency procedures is to treat the patient using a medical restraint system within 2 min. The patient may require treatment while medical equipment is being deployed. The capability for one person, unaided, to successfully perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is, therefore, of paramount importance. A new technique has been developed whereby the practitioner encircles the thorax of the patient with his/her legs to restrain the patient to allow CPR to be performed in microgravity. ⋯ Although difficulties in performing this method during parabolic flight primarily affected compression rate, it may be possible to conduct basic life support using this technique in any microgravity environment.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Apr 2005
Comparative StudyAssessment of simulated surgical skills in parabolic microgravity.
During spaceflight crew health is paramount in the success of flight missions. The delivery of healthcare during flight requires crew readiness for medical and surgical response. ⋯ There is a decreased frequency of accurate task completion in parabolic microgravity flight, but it is not an obstacle to implementation of effective training for providing in-flight medical care. The data reveal that individuals perform basic laparoscopic surgical simulation with greater effort in microgravity following simulation training.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Feb 2005
Cognitive paralysis in an emergency: the role of the supervisory attentional system.
Many witnesses attest that victims of a disaster often perish because they 'freeze' in the face of danger. It has been proposed that this cognitive paralysis occurs due to temporal and cognitive constraints on survival response times while leaving open the question of which cognitive component is implicated in this behavior. ⋯ Secondly, that the main role of the SAS is to operate as a temporal buffer, enabling a survival response to be prepared prior to facing a life-threatening event and not as a real-time immediate responder. It is argued that the initial cognitive paralysis differs at the cognitive and neurological levels from the more prolonged hypoactive behavior commonly seen in victims rescued from disasters and which is considered to be a form of disassociative reaction.