Subject(s)
Occupational Exposure/adverse effects , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/etiology , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapy , Zea mays/adverse effects , Adult , Disease Progression , Female , Food Handling , Humans , Lung Transplantation , Male , Middle Aged , Oxygen Inhalation Therapy/methods , Prognosis , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/diagnosis , Respiratory Function Tests , Severity of Illness Index , Waiting ListsABSTRACT
Tuberculosis in commercial aircraft has been a concern since a 1995 incident of possible transmission from an active case of tuberculosis to passengers in the cabin of a 747. Subsequently, commercial air carriers have been vigilant in cooperating with public health authorities in tracking all known exposures to tuberculosis. In 1998, a pilot of a commercial airliner was diagnosed with active tuberculosis. Company records demonstrated that in the previous 6 mo, the pilot had flown with 48 other pilots. Every exposed pilot was contacted and evaluated by skin testing (IPPD) or chest x-ray if previously positive. There were no skin test conversions and no changes on x-rays. This study demonstrates that transmission of tuberculosis in the aircraft cabin environment, even under close and continuous exposure to an active case, is a rare event.
Subject(s)
Aerospace Medicine , Contact Tracing/methods , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/prevention & control , Air Conditioning , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. , Humans , Occupational Diseases/diagnosis , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Time Factors , Tuberculin , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/diagnosis , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/transmission , United States , World Health OrganizationSubject(s)
Hepatitis A/prevention & control , Viral Hepatitis Vaccines , Child Care , Female , Food Handling , Humans , Infant , Male , Mass Screening , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Vaccination/economics , Viral Hepatitis Vaccines/administration & dosage , Viral Hepatitis Vaccines/economicsABSTRACT
Three aviators experience hypoxic symptoms in flight that persist on landing. These prove to be the initial presentations of anemia, leukemia and cardiac disease.
Subject(s)
Hypoxia/etiology , Aerospace Medicine , Aircraft , Gastritis/complications , Humans , Hypoxia/blood , Hypoxia/therapy , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/complications , Vascular Diseases/complicationsABSTRACT
An aviator with occupationally-caused lead poisoning and entrapment neuropathies. Presentation, diagnosis and treatment are discussed.
Subject(s)
Lead Poisoning/diagnosis , Nerve Compression Syndromes/diagnosis , Occupational Diseases/diagnosis , Adult , Humans , Lead Poisoning/complications , Lead Poisoning/prevention & control , Male , Nerve Compression Syndromes/complications , Nerve Compression Syndromes/prevention & control , Paint , Protective ClothingSubject(s)
Cumulative Trauma Disorders/prevention & control , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/diagnosis , Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/prevention & control , Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/therapy , Cumulative Trauma Disorders/diagnosis , Cumulative Trauma Disorders/therapy , Ergonomics , Humans , Occupational Diseases/diagnosis , Occupational Diseases/therapyABSTRACT
A Gulf War veteran and aviator with an occupational dermatitis is evaluated as to cause and ability to work in his normal occupation as well as flying duty. The effects of the Americans With Disabilities Act upon disabled workers, pilots and collective bargaining agreements is discussed.
Subject(s)
Hand Dermatoses/diagnosis , Military Personnel , Warfare , Adult , Humans , Male , Middle East , SyndromeABSTRACT
Space adaptation syndrome (SAS), manifested by cephalad fluid shifts, spacial disorientation, nausea, and vomiting, is of varied expression and uncertain etiology. One theory is that fluid shift to the upper body alters the function of the vestibular apparatus to create an entity similar to Meniere's disease. Since clinical vestibular dysfunction syndromes are mirrored by altered cochlear function, this experiment was undertaken to study the relation between fluid redistribution and the auditory effects of initial antiorthostatic bed rest. Manual and bone audiometry, impedance tympanometry, and brain-stem evoked potentials were used to monitor auditory changes prior to, during, and following short term exposure to -6 degrees head down tilt. Impedance plethysmography was performed to assess the segmental and intracranial fluid redistribution and hemodynamic changes during short-term head down tilt simulated microgravity. Even though significant cephalad fluid shift produced marked intracranial congestion and the subjects exhibited SAS symptoms, no clinically significant changes in the auditory system could be detected.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Physiological , Body Fluids/physiology , Cerebrovascular Circulation , Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem , Gravitation , Motion Sickness/physiopathology , Space Flight , Vestibular Diseases/physiopathology , Water-Electrolyte Imbalance/physiopathology , Acoustic Impedance Tests , Adult , Analysis of Variance , Audiometry , Bed Rest , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Forearm/blood supply , Hemodynamics , Humans , Leg/blood supply , Male , Motion Sickness/diagnosis , Motion Sickness/etiology , Plethysmography, Impedance , Thorax/blood supply , Vestibular Diseases/diagnosis , Vestibular Diseases/etiology , Water-Electrolyte Imbalance/diagnosis , Water-Electrolyte Imbalance/etiologyABSTRACT
The initial presentation and diagnosis of an aviator with a pigmented skin lesion. The epidemiology of the skin cancer epidemic, including melanoma is discussed. Prognostic implications of melanoma and the U.S. Air Force experience with melanoma in aircrew are also depicted.
Subject(s)
Melanoma/diagnosis , Military Personnel , Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis , Aerospace Medicine , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Male , Melanoma/pathology , Middle Aged , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , United StatesABSTRACT
Numerous fatal accidents marred the early years of aviation, but not until 1911 was the first accident attributed to inflight incapacitation of the pilot. Two such accidents occurred in 1911 and were reported due to medical causes. Our review of the circumstances surrounding these two accidents lead to different conclusions. We believe them to have been caused by pilot error, and not by medical causes. So the first accident due to inflight incapacitation of the aircrew for medical reasons still remains unknown.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Aviation/history , Aerospace Medicine/history , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
A clinical presentation, evaluation and diagnosis of an aviator with stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia discovered while being evaluated for asymptomatic mitral valve prolapse are discussed. The aeromedical disposition of this patient is also presented.
Subject(s)
Aviation , Leukemia, Lymphoid/diagnosis , Military Personnel , Aerospace Medicine , Humans , Leukemia, Lymphoid/pathology , Male , Middle AgedSubject(s)
Hodgkin Disease/pathology , Adult , Hodgkin Disease/diagnosis , Hodgkin Disease/radiotherapy , Humans , Male , Military PersonnelABSTRACT
The clinical presentation, evaluation and diagnosis of an aviator with dilated cardiomyopathy of determined etiology are discussed. The aeromedical disposition and prognosis of this patient are also presented.
Subject(s)
Aerospace Medicine , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/diagnosis , Heart Failure/diagnosis , Adult , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
From the Aerospace medicine residents' teaching file: on aviator with acoustic neuroma. The clinical presentation, evaluation and disposition of a patient with an acoustic neuroma are discussed.
Subject(s)
Aerospace Medicine , Neuroma, Acoustic/diagnosis , Adult , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/etiology , Humans , Male , Neuroma, Acoustic/complicationsABSTRACT
"From the aerospace medicine residents' teaching file: toxic peripheral neuropathy, sacroiliitis, and mitral valve prolapse." The clinical presentation, evaluation and diagnosis of an aviator exposed to N-Hexane and Butanone are discussed. The aeromedical disposition of this patient, who also had mitral valve prolapse and subclinical sacroiliitis, is also presented.
