Aerospace medicine and human performance
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Sep 2015
Cerebrovascular Response to CO2 Following 10 Days of Intermittent Hypoxia in Humans.
It has been demonstrated that the cerebrovascular response to hypoxia is blunted following 10 d of intermittent hypoxia (IH) in healthy humans. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that IH reduces the cerebrovascular response to CO2. ⋯ Our data indicates that 10 d of IH in healthy humans does not alter the cerebrovascular response to CO2. Redundancy of cerebrovascular regulation mechanisms to CO2 may work to counteract IH-induced dysregulation and protect cerebral tissue.
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Jul 2015
Ground and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Time Tradeoffs Assessed with Geographic Information.
We describe how geographic information systems (GIS) can be used to assess and compare estimated transport time for helicopter and ground emergency medical services. Recent research shows that while the odds of a trauma patient's survival increase with helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), they may not increase to the extent necessary to make HEMS cost effective. This study offers an analytic tool to objectively quantify the patient travel time advantage that HEMS offers compared to ground emergency medical services (GEMS). ⋯ The use of GIS and the analytical methodology described in this study present a method to compare transportation by air and ground in the prehospital setting that accounts for how mode, distance, and road infrastructure impact total transport time. Whether used to generate regional maps in advance or applied real-time, the presented framework provides a tool to identify earlier incident locations that favor HEMS over GEMS transport modes.
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Jun 2015
5-Day Bed Rest: Portal and Lower Limb Veins With and Without Artificial Gravity Countermeasures.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of short-term, head-down bed rest (HDBR), with and without artificial gravity countermeasures, on splanchnic and lower limb vein properties. ⋯ Calf veins were not significantly affected by 5 d of HDBR and did not appear to be negatively impacted by the artificial gravity countermeasures over this time period. In addition, the intermittent protocol resulted in better splanchnic vasoconstriction in response to head-up tilt, which may have contributed to a better maintenance of orthostatic tolerance post-HDBR.
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Aerosp Med Hum Perform · Jun 2015
AsMA Medical Guidelines for Air Travel: Reported In-Flight Medical Events and Death.
Medical Guidelines for Airline Travel provide information that enables healthcare providers to properly advise patients who plan to travel by air. Although there are no publicly available databases providing information on the number of in-flight medical emergencies, the few studies published in the literature indicate that they are uncommon. ⋯ However, serious illnesses, such as seizures and myocardial infarction, also occur. In-flight deaths are also rare.
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The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) for astronauts in space (68%) is higher than the 1-mo prevalence for the general population on Earth (39%). It is unclear whether differences occur between healthy subjects and astronauts with a history of LBP. Knowledge of this issue is important to assess whether a history of LBP could have an operational impact. ⋯ The current study represents a prospective study of LBP in spaceflight. The results indicate that LBP is self-limiting in spaceflight and should not pose an operational risk. Prior LBP on Earth appears to be a risk factor for LBP in spaceflight.