Stress in jet pilots

BACKGROUND: Gas expansion in body cavities due to pressure changes at high altitudes can cause barodontalgia. This condition may compromise flight safety. AIM: To investigate relationships among barodontalgia awareness, dental visit frequency, and barodontalgia prevalence in civilian and military pilots operating at high altitudes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Civilian pilots from Turkish Airlines and military pilots from the Turkish Air Force, flying between November 2022 and January 2023, participated in this study...

BACKGROUND: Fighter aircraft pilots are regularly exposed to physiological challenges from high acceleration (Gz ) forces, as well as increased breathing pressure and oxygen supply in the support systems. We studied whether effects on the lung and systemic oxidative stress were detectable after real training flights comprising of a wide variety of exposure conditions, and their combinations. METHODS: Thirty-five pilots of the German Air Force performed 145 flights with the Eurofighter Typhoon...

INTRODUCTION: Real-time fMRI-based neurofeedback (rt-fMRI-NFB) is a non-invasive technology that enables individuals to self-regulate brain activity linked to neuropsychiatric symptoms, including those associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Selecting the target brain region for neurofeedback-mediated regulation is primarily informed by the neurobiological characteristics of the participant population. There is a strong link between PTSD symptoms and multiple functional disruptions in the brain, including hyperactivity within both the amygdala and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) during trauma-related processing...

INTRODUCTION: Ballet landings produce accelerations that are transmitted proximally up the kinetic chain. If overly excessive/repetitive, these "shocks" to the lower body may contribute to overuse injury. The shocks imposed by different ballet maneuvers are largely unknown at this time, making it difficult to appreciate the physical stresses associated with different maneuvers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the impact accelerations associated with different common ballet maneuvers...

Tunable laser spectroscopy (TLS) near 2683 nm was used to measure carbon dioxide and water vapor inside a pilot mask during jet fighter flights. Measurement frequency was 100 Hz in order to capture breathing profiles and other gas flow dynamics. Analysis of the full inhalation and exhalation breathing cycle allowed precise monitoring of breathing performance and interaction of the pilot with the life-support system. Measurements revealed dynamic phenomena pertaining to mechanical gas flow and pilot respiration that may be used to understand gas delivery stresses imposed upon the pilot and pilot physiology during flight...

Normal breathing for healthy humans is taken for granted; it occurs without conscious effort using ambient (1-atmosphere) pressure with 21% oxygen (O2 ) concentration. The body automatically adjusts for stress, exercise, altitude, and mild disease by increasing the volume and frequency of breathing. Longer term adaptations for exercise and altitude include increases in red blood cell counts and higher concentrations of capillaries in muscle tissue. When more challenging external environmental conditions or pulmonary illnesses exceed the capability for these adaptations, the human system requires technology to maintain sufficient ventilation to preserve life...

Aviation and space medicine face many common musculoskeletal challenges that manifest in crew of rotary-wing aircraft (RWA), high-performance jet aircraft (HPJA), and spacecraft. Furthermore, many astronauts are former pilots of RWA or HPJA. Flight crew are exposed to recurrent musculoskeletal risk relating to the extreme environments in which they operate, including high-gravitational force equivalents (g-forces), altered gravitational vectors, vibratory loading, and interaction with equipment. Several countermeasures have been implemented or are currently under development to reduce the magnitude and frequency of these injuries...

BACKGROUND: During flight, fast jet pilots frequently move their heads into extreme positions while withstanding large amounts of stress on their cervical spines. These factors are thought to contribute to episodes of neck pain. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous neck pain prevalence data in fast jet pilots to determine an overall pooled prevalence. Subgroup analyses were performed according to when pilots complained about their neck pain, whether these same pilots sought treatment, and if they lost time from flying...

Extreme limits of the human body could be reached in air combat. We analysed 29 fighter pilots before and after offensive and defensive manoeuvres on heart rate (HR), heart rate variability, leg and hand strength, spirometry, temperature, blood oxygen saturation (BOS), lactate, hydration (USG), cortical activation, memory and psychological variables. The defensive manoeuvre produced a significative decrease in forced vital capacity from spirometry and USG post flight, a moderate effect in the decrease in cognitive anxiety and an increase in leg strength...

Orthostatic instability is one of the main consequences of weightlessness or gravity challenge and plays as well a crucial role in public health, being one of the most frequent disease of aging. Therefore, the assessment of effective countermeasures, or even the possibility to predict, and thus prevent orthostatic instability is of great importance. Heat stress affects orthostatic stability and may lead to impaired consciousness and decrease in cerebral perfusion, specifically during the exposure to G-forces...

Introduction: Fighter jet pilots may adopt a voluntary hypohydration strategy hours before take-off to avoid urinating in flight. This may favor sortie-induced dehydration and potentially increase flying errors. Since 2015, French pilots have used a urinary sheath (US) that appears to have resolved this problem. However, its effect has never been assessed. Methods: Urine specific gravity (USG) before and after sorties, inflight intake (water and food) and loss (sweat and urine), and changes in bodyweight were measured during 44 long (~370 minutes) sorties (22 in 2015 without a US, No-US group, and 22 in 2017 with a US, US group)...

Jet fighter pilots experience high gravitational acceleration forces in the cephalocaudal direction (+Gz), causing severe stress. Stress affects different physiological functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Although the effects of exposure to hypergravity on cardiovascular and cerebral functions have been the subject of numerous studies, crucial information regarding potential pathophysiological alterations following hypergravity exposure in the gastrointestinal tract is lacking. We recently documented a significant decrease in gastric secretory activity in rats after acute exposure to hypergravity...

To reveal the formation mechanism of a pulse-jet airflow's cleaning effect in a filter bag, a theoretical model is built by using the theory of the gas jet and unitary adiabatic flow according to given specifications and dimensions of the bags and resistance characteristics of the cloth and dust layer. It is about the relationship between cleaning system structure and operating parameters. The model follows the principle that the flow and kinetic energy of jet flow injected into a filter bag should be consistent with the flow of cleaning airflow in the bag and the pressure drop flowing through the filter cloth and dust layer...

Ischemic placental disease is a concept that links intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and preeclampsia (PE) back to insufficient remodeling of uterine spiral arteries. The rheological consequences of insufficient remodeling of uterine spiral arteries were hypothesized to mediate the considerably later manifestation of obstetric disease. However, the micro-rheology in the intervillous space (IVS) cannot be examined clinically and rheological animal models of the human IVS do not exist. Thus, an in silico approach was implemented to provide in vivo inaccessible data...

BACKGROUND: Pilots are exposed to various physical and hemodynamic stresses during flight. Aortic dilatation may be one of the important consequences of flight-related stress. In this study, we evaluated whether or not variation in aortic diameter was associated with the type of aircraft and the age of pilots. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 87 jet aircraft pilots (JP) (mean age = 30.0 ± 7.0 years) and 65 non-jet aircraft pilots (NJP) (mean age = 32.63 ± 5...

INTRODUCTION: In jet pilots, the neck is stressed by dynamic loading and there is growing concern about possible neck damage in pilots of new agile aircraft. Jet pilots often report neck pain after flight so intense that their operational capability may be affected. However, there is no clear evidence of structural damage related to the operational exposure. METHODS: We compared 35 F-16 pilots with 35 age-matched Eurofighter Typhoon pilots. All subjects completed an anonymous questionnaire on their flight activity and neck pain...

INTRODUCTION: Syncope may be the initial clinical presentation of atrial fibrillation (AF) and has a great potential for incapacitation during flight. Herein is presented the case of a jet pilot who had paroxysmal palpitations accompanied with presyncope which progressed to syncope and was found to be associated with AF. CASE REPORT: A 23-yr-old male jet pilot had a sudden syncope at the fifth minute of his presentation during the daily flight briefing. After he regained consciousness, he was transferred to the intensive care unit of the military hospital...

BACKGROUND: Aortic remodeling after aortic valve replacement (AVR) might be influenced by the postoperative blood flow pattern in the ascending aorta. This pilot study used flow-sensitive four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (4D-flow) to describe ascending aortic flow characteristics after various types of AVR. METHODS: 4D-flow was acquired in 38 AVR patients (n=9 mechanical, n=8 stentless bioprosthesis, n=14 stented bioprosthesis, n=7 autograft) and 9 healthy controls...

BACKGROUND: Airsickness (AS) still represents a major issue in aviation medicine and affects many student pilots and aircrew members. This study aimed at producing an update of the Italian Air Force rehabilitation program for AS, including data on a prolonged follow-up (> 8 yr). METHODS: Data from 20 military pilots with a past history of rehabilitation for incapacitating AS were compared to those of 65 normal controls. All individuals from both samples were categorized as dropouts or successfully employed in fast jets, multiengine air carriers, or helicopters...

Blood flow imaging with 3-dimensional time-resolved, phase-contrast cardiac magnetic resonance (4-dimensional [4D] Flow) is an innovative and visually appealing method for studying cardiovascular disease that allows quantification of important secondary vascular parameters including wall shear stress. The hypothesis of this pilot study is that 4D Flow will become a powerful tool for characterizing the relationship of aortic valve-related flow dynamics, especially with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), and progression of ascending aortic (AsAo) dilation...