ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Stereopsis is usually required in military aviators and may become increasingly important with reliance on newer technologies such as binocular Helmet-Mounted Displays (HMDs) and stereo displays. The current stereo test used to qualify UK military aircrew (TNO test) has many limitations. To address these limitations, two computer-based digital versions of a random dot stereogram (RDS) were developed: a static version (dRDS-S), and a version in which the dots appear to move dynamically within the depth plane (dRDS-D), both capable of measuring stereo acuity to threshold.METHODS: There were 41 participants who performed all 3 stereo tests, TNO and both digital dRDS tests, on two separate occasions.RESULTS: The best (lowest) mean stereo acuity threshold was measured with dRDS-S (33.79 arcseconds, range 12.64-173) and the worst mean stereo acuity thresholds were measured with the TNO test (91 arcseconds, range 60-240). Both dRDS tests were strongly correlated, but neither correlated with the TNO test. Both dRDS tests were more reliable, as indicated with tighter limits of agreement.DISCUSSION: With a large floor effect at 60 arcseconds, the TNO test was unable to characterize any finer degree of stereo acuity. Both dRDS tests demonstrated better test-retest reliability and addressed many of the limitations seen with the TNO test. The dRDS tests were not correlated with the TNO test, which suggests that the TNO test does not provide the accuracy or reliability for use as a meaningful aeromedical screening test. The dRDS tests will enable research to investigate the relationship between stereo acuity and operational performance.Posselt BN, Seemiller E, Winterbottom M, Baber C, Hadley S. A digital alternative to the TNO stereo test to qualify military aircrew. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2022; 93(12):846-854.
Subject(s)
Military Personnel , Vision Tests , Humans , Visual Acuity , Reproducibility of Results , Depth PerceptionSubject(s)
Aerospace Medicine , Aviation , Decompression Sickness , Humans , Military Medicine , Oxygen Inhalation Therapy , Risk AssessmentABSTRACT
The Royal Air Force (RAF) came into being during World War I as the world's first independent air force on the 1 April 1918, amalgamating elements of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), itself established in 1912 and the Royal Naval Air Service which had formally separated from the Admiralty's administered Air Wing of the RFC in 1915. The RAF therefore celebrates its 100th anniversary in the same year that the Royal College of Physicians of London celebrates its 500th. This article will cover the contribution that military aviation has made to medicine since 1913 with the emphasis of three examples focusing on delivering care by air, providing care in the air and in developing systems for supporting aircrew or patients at the extremes of physiological stress.
Subject(s)
Aerospace Medicine/history , Military Medicine/history , Military Personnel , Dialysis/history , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , London , Oxygen Inhalation Therapy/history , Oxygen Inhalation Therapy/instrumentationABSTRACT
Although rare, sudden cardiac death does occur in British military personnel. In the majority of cases, the cause is considered to be a malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmia, which can be precipitated by a number of underlying pathologies. Conversely, a tachyarrhythmia may have a more benign and treatable cause, yet the initial clinical symptoms may be similar, making differentiation difficult. This is an overview of the mechanisms underlying the initiation and propagation of arrhythmias and the various pathological conditions that predispose to arrhythmia genesis, classified according to which parts of the heart are involved: atrial tachyarrhythmias, atrial and ventricular, as well as those affecting the ventricles alone. It encompasses atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardias and ventricular tachycardias, including the more commonly encountered inherited primary electrical diseases, also known as the channelopathies. The clinical features, investigation and management strategies are outlined. The occupational impact-in serving military personnel and potential recruits-is described, with explanations relating to the different conditions and their specific implication on continued military service.
