Aerospace medicine and human performance
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Jun 2016
Pilot Domain Task Experience in Night Fatal Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Accidents.
In the United States, accident and fatality rates in helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) operations increase significantly under nighttime environmentally hazardous operational conditions. Other studies have found pilots' total flight hours unrelated to HEMS accident outcomes. Many factors affect pilots' decision making, including their experience. This study seeks to investigate whether pilot domain task experience (DTE) in HEMS plays a role against likelihood of accidents at night when hazardous operational conditions are entered. ⋯ HEMS DTE plays a preventive role against the likelihood of a night operational accident. Pilots with limited HEMS DTE are more likely to make a poor assessment of hazardous conditions at night, and this will place HEMS flight crew at high risk in the VFR night domain.
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Jan 2016
Occupant Injury Severity and Accident Causes in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (1983-2014).
Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) transport critically ill patients to/between emergency care facilities and operate in a hazardous environment: the destination site is often encumbered with obstacles, difficult to visualize at night, and lack instrument approaches for degraded visibility. The study objectives were to determine 1) HEMS accident rates and causes; 2) occupant injury severity profiles; and 3) whether accident aircraft were certified to the more stringent crashworthiness standards implemented two decades ago. ⋯ HEMS operators should consider updating their fleet to the current, more stringent crashworthiness standards in an attempt to reduce injury severity. Additionally, toward further mitigating accidents ascribed to inadvertent visual-to-instrument conditions, HEMS aircraft should be avionics-equipped for instrument flight rules flight.
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Dec 2015
Case ReportsCervical Manipulation Leading to Cerebellar Stroke in a Pilot.
Stroke is a decidedly devastating event for any patient, but particularly for a military aviator in a single-seat aircraft. Incidence of acute ischemic infarct in men ages 25 to 29 ranges from 3.4 to 5.6/100,000. The neurological sequelae of stroke can have a lasting and profound impact on an aviator's career. Literature review revealed a relatively small number of cases where stroke was attributable to cervical manipulation. ⋯ The ability to recognize the symptoms of stroke and seek treatment in a timely manner are paramount and can drastically reduce the potential for permanent deficit. The evaluation of residual sequelae in military aviators who fly single-seat aircraft is of particular interest to aerospace medicine physicians when it comes time to return a pilot to flight duties. Additionally, the link between cervical manipulation and vertebral artery dissection leading to stroke remains equivocal, and further research is warranted.
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Dec 2015
Isokinetic Strength Changes Following Long-Duration Spaceflight on the ISS.
Long-duration spaceflight results in a loss of muscle strength that poses both operational and medical risks, particularly during emergency egress, upon return to Earth, and during future extraterrestrial exploration. Isokinetic testing of the knee, ankle, and trunk quantifies movement-specific strength changes following spaceflight and offers insight into the effectiveness of in-flight exercise countermeasures. ⋯ In-flight resistance exercise did not prevent decreased isokinetic strength after long-duration spaceflight. However, continued utilization of ARED, a more robust resistance exercise device providing higher loads than iRED, may result in greater benefits as exercise prescriptions are optimized. With reconditioning upon return to Earth, strength is largely recovered within 30 d.
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Oct 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialA Randomized Controlled Trial of Core Strengthening Exercises in Helicopter Crewmembers with Low Back Pain.
The purpose of this study was to determine if five core strengthening exercises would decrease pain severity and related disability in U.S. Air Force helicopter aircrew members with low back pain. ⋯ Core strengthening exercises were effective in reducing in-flight pain and led to a reduction in pain symptoms and disability over the 12-wk study period as compared to those subjects who maintained their regular exercise regimen.