Simulation Training for In-Flight Medical Emergencies Improves Provider Knowledge and Confidence.

INTRODUCTION: In-flight medical emergencies require healthcare providers to operate in confined spaces with limited resources and delayed access to definitive care. These emergencies are common, with an estimated frequency of 1 per 100 to 1000 flights. Despite this, training for medical response in these environments is limited. We hypothesize that integrating such education into a pre-existing medical student elective course would improve knowledge and ability to respond appropriately to in-flight medical emergencies.METHODS: The available literature surrounding in-flight medical emergencies was reviewed. Syncope, respiratory distress, allergic reaction, and cardiac arrest were identified as common and potentially life-threatening complaints. Simulation cases were designed for each of these complaints and a simulation room was modified to mimic an airplane cabin. These simulation cases and accompanying relevant didactic lectures were incorporated into an existing wilderness and extreme environmental medicine course, with multiple-choice tests completed by the students at the beginning and end of the 2-wk course.RESULTS: Participating in this study were 18 students. The pretest average was 76%, which improved to 87% on the posttest. Qualitative feedback regarding this type of training was overwhelmingly positive.DISCUSSION: Simulation-based training for in-flight medical emergencies can significantly improve medical students' knowledge. This training was very well received by the students. Opportunities for training to manage in-flight medical emergencies remain limited; incorporating such training into existing curricula could provide a means by which to improve provider knowledge. Such a curriculum could be adapted for use by flight crews and other populations.Padaki A, Redha W, Clark T, Nichols T, Jacoby L, Slivka R, Ranniger C, Lehnhardt K. Simulation training for in-flight medical emergencies improves provider knowledge and confidence. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2018; 89(12):1076-1079.

General Medical Considerations for the Wilderness Adventurer: Medical Conditions That May Worsen With or Present Challenges to Coping With Wilderness Exposure.

Participation in wilderness and adventure sports is on the rise, and as such, practitioners will see more athletes seeking clearance to participate in these events. The purpose of this article is to describe specific medical conditions that may worsen or present challenges to the athlete in a wilderness environment.

General Medical Considerations for the Wilderness Adventurer: Medical Conditions That May Worsen With or Present Challenges to Coping With Wilderness Exposure.

Participation in wilderness and adventure sports is on the rise, and as such, practitioners will see more athletes seeking clearance to participate in these events. The purpose of this article is to describe specific medical conditions that may worsen or present challenges to the athlete in a wilderness environment.

DXA surrogates for visceral fat are inversely associated with bone density measures in adolescent athletes with menstrual dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: Lean mass is associated with bone mineral density (BMD) in athletes, attributable to the anabolic pull of muscle on bone. Fat mass is also important, and subcutaneous fat positively and visceral fat negatively correlates with BMD in obese adolescents. The contribution of regional body composition to low BMD in amenorrheic athletes (AA) has not been elucidated. We hypothesized that in adolescent athletes (runners), BMD is associated positively with total fat (surrogate for subcutaneous fat) and lean mass, and inversely with percent trunk fat and trunk-to-extremity fat ratio (surrogates for visceral fat). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We examined BMD and body composition using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 21 AA and 19 eumenorrheic athletes (EA) (12-18 years) (runners). We report total hip and height-adjusted BMD [lumbar bone mineral apparent density (LBMAD) and whole body bone mineral content/height (WBBMC/Ht)]. RESULTS: AA had lower BMD than EA. Lean mass was less strongly associated with hip BMD in AA than EA; fat mass was positively associated with LBMAD in EA. Percent trunk fat and trunk-to-extremity fat ratio were inversely associated with lumbar and WB measures in AA. In a regression model, lean and fat mass were positively, and percent trunk fat and trunk-to-extremity fat ratio negatively associated with LBMAD and WBBMC/Ht for all athletes, even after controlling for serum estradiol. CONCLUSIONS: DXA surrogates for visceral fat are inversely associated with bone density in athletes.

Hip problems and arthroscopy: adolescent hip as it relates to sports.

Injuries of the hip and pelvis in pediatric athletes are receiving increased attention, which may be due, in part, to the increased participation in competitive sports and focusing on a single sport at younger ages. With the advent of hip arthroscopy and the development of more advanced imaging of the hip through magnetic resonance imaging, internal derangements of the hip such as labral tears, loose bodies, femoroacetabular impingement, and chondral injuries are being diagnosed and treated with increased frequency. This article reviews the more common injuries of the hip and pelvis in pediatric athletes.