Aviat Space Envir Md
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Optimal visual acuity is a requirement for piloting aircraft in military and civilian settings. While acuity can be corrected with glasses, spectacle wear can limit or even prohibit use of certain devices such as night vision goggles, helmet mounted displays, and/or chemical protective masks. Although current Army policy is directed toward selection of pilots who do not require spectacle correction for acceptable vision, refractive error can become manifest over time, making optical correction necessary. ⋯ Advanced methods of testing visual resolution, including high and low contrast visual acuity and small letter contrast sensitivity, were used to compare vision achieved with full spectacle correction to that attained with the habitual, contact lens correction. Although the patient was pleased with his habitual correction, vision was significantly better with full spectacle correction, particularly on the small letter contrast test. Implications of these findings are considered.
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Optimum treatment for aircrew who have developed anxiety associated with flight includes a flying phase for desensitization. However, standardized flight profiles are not found in the literature. In this study, a method of desensitization flying, which may increase the probability of a return to productive flying, was devised and assessed. ⋯ In all referred aircrewmen, anxiety was controllable in flight at IAM. Somatic signs diminished and no sortie was terminated early. All returned to operational flying. Anxiety recurred in one fast jet pilot while flying solo, and in one navigator, both of whom requested a change to transports. A transport pilot had recurrent uncontrollable anxiety at high altitude and is grounded. At 9-24 months follow-up, 5/7 were flying comfortably with rare, controllable anxiety. We conclude that actual exposure to flying is usually necessary for aircrew to recover from anxiety associated with flight.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Dec 1995
Review Comparative StudyConvulsive syncope in the aviation environment.
Syncope in the aviation environment can be a very difficult problem to assess. Even more difficult is the differential diagnosis between convulsive syncope and epilepsy after the first event. This paper discusses syncope in general and the differential diagnosis between vasovagal syncope and other forms of syncope. ⋯ The other 35% are due to a variety of causes. We found no good algorithm to differentiate convulsive syncope from epilepsy. We reviewed the literature to develop a differential diagnostic table, focusing on: age, awake status, position, emotional/physiologic stressors, onset, aura, appearance, injury on falling, seizure characteristics, automatism, length of unconsciousness and subsequent confusion, pulse characteristics, blood pressure, urinary incontinence, seizure duration, recovery time post-event, post-seizure sequelae, amnesia, posture vs. recovery, EEG characteristics, and the value of sophisticated diagnostic procedures.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Dec 1995
Influence of body composition on rewarming from immersion hypothermia.
This study was conducted to determine if the differences between efficacies of three treatments for immersion hypothermia are affected by body composition. ⋯ The inter-treatment differences between these techniques are accentuated in the HF, and attenuated (afterdrop) or even eliminated (rewarming rate) in the LF subgroup.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Nov 1995
U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation of obstetric patients in Europe.
U. S. Air Force (USAF) regulations do not recommend the routine movement of obstetrical patients greater than 34 weeks gestation. ⋯ By contrast, the USAF operates a high-volume, long-range aeromedical evacuation system with large fixed-wing aircraft. Of the 13,095 patients reported for military aeromedical movement within the study time frame, 329 patients were uneventfully airlifted for obstetrical reasons. This study suggests that long distance movement by fixed-wing aircraft of obstetric patients at any gestational age can be done safely in the USAF military aeromedical system.