Aviat Space Envir Md
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Oct 1988
An analysis of noise-induced hearing loss in Army helicopter pilots.
Hearing loss in the aviation environment has been attributed to a variety of factors ranging from aircraft noise exposure to the aging process. Consequently, this study was conducted to determine the relative contribution of age, total flight hours, type of aircraft, and use of hearing protection to hearing loss in U. S. ⋯ Data analysis suggests that hearing loss is primarily a function of noise exposure as measured by total flight hours. Age was found to be a less significant factor; aircraft type had no significant effect. The results indicate that combination hearing protection appears to significantly lower the risk of hearing loss.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jul 1988
Comparative StudyTemperature and metabolic responses to inhalation and bath rewarming protocols.
Rewarming of mildly hypothermic subjects was compared using three different techniques that have been suggested for use in field situations. Eight subjects were cooled for up to 1 h, on four occasions, in a filled whole-body water calorimeter controlled at 22 degrees C. Following cooling, rewarming was initiated by one of four procedures: inhalation of warmed and humidified air at 40 degrees C or 45 degrees C, immersion in 40 degrees C water, or spontaneously by shivering. ⋯ Although there were no differences in the rewarming rates calculated for each of the three core temperature sites during inhalation and spontaneous rewarming, both auditory canal and esophageal sites rose significantly quicker than rectal during the rapid rewarming in 40 degrees C water. Inhalation rewarming led to a depressed metabolic rate, compared to spontaneous rewarming, which was not compensated by heat provided through the respiratory tract. It was concluded that for mildly hypothermic subjects, rapid rewarming in 40 degree C water was the most efficient procedure and that esophageal temperature--the closest approximation of aortic blood or cardiac temperature--is the most sensitive to change during rewarming by any procedure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 1988
Historical ArticleThe development of the nation's oldest operating civilian hospital-sponsored aeromedical helicopter service.
The Vietnam War heightened civilian awareness as to the use of helicopters for medical evacuations. This led to the initiation of federally funded projects aimed at determining whether helicopters were practical for civilian aeromedical transports. In 1972, a Department of Transportation (DOT) summary concluded that helicopters for civilian medical transports were largely economically prohibitive and provided limited medical benefits in limited locales. ⋯ Anthony Hospital initiated a hospital-based emergency medical helicopter service (HEMS). This paper provides a historical review of the individuals and events responsible for the early success of the nation's longest operating civilian hospital-sponsored helicopter service. The author concludes that the early success of this program was due in part to the selection of an affordable, high altitude, helicopter; rapid response times to the scene of injury; the development of excellent EMS communications systems; the use of specialty trained flight crewmembers; and integration of HEMS into the existing EMS system.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 1988
Long distance transport of cardiac patients in extremis: the mobile intensive care (MOBI) concept.
Critically ill cardiac patients may require transport to distant centers. Their clinical demands often exceed the capabilities of land or air ambulance services. To provide this service, a new, safe, and cost-effective concept for transport of the critically ill was developed. ⋯ Five patients were transported by ground ambulance. All patients survived the transport: no complications were attributed to the transport process. The system is cost effective since slight modification is required in regular ambulance or chartered aircraft to provide the highest level of care.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Apr 1988
The effect of two lighting conditions on performance of the Farnsworth Lantern color vision test.
This paper compares the performance of color defective patients on the Farnsworth Lantern test in both unlit and lit room conditions. We examined 18 dichromats and 33 anomalous trichromats, as diagnosed by the Mark I Nagel Anomaloscope. No statistically significant differences were found between their performance in the two conditions.