Introduction to aerospace medicine

Article information

J Korean Med Assoc. 2012;55(7):649-656

Publication date (electronic) : 2012 July 11

doi : https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2012.55.7.649

Jeongku Lim, MD

Medical Division of Headquarter, Republic of Korea Air Force, Gyeryong, Korea.

Corresponding author: Jeongku Lim, amekorea@gmail.com

Received 2012 March 13; Accepted 2012 March 28.

Abstract

Recent reports show that over 2 billion people are travelling via air every year, and the number of countries involved in space exploration is growing. Aerospace medicine, one of the specialty areas in preventive medicine, focuses on the clinical care, research, and operational support of the health, safety, and performance of crewmembers and passengers of air and space vehicles. Flight surgeons are military medical officers who play an important role in these tasks. The civilian equivalent of the flight surgeon is the aviation medical examiner (AME). Among the challenges that we encounter at high altitudes are a change in pressure, noise, spa-tial disorientation, and acceleration. We should also overcome microgravity and radiation in space. The common in-flight medical emergencies are abdominal pain, diarrhea, chest pain, coll-apse, asthma, diabetes, and allergic reactions. There is only one aerospace medical institute, the Aerospace Medical Center, in the Republic of Korea. The Aerospace Medical Association of Korea, established in 1989, continues to grow. In the near future, aerospace medicine will be an important part of preventive medicine in the Republic of Korea.

Keywords: Aerospace medicine; Flight surgeon; Aviation medical examiner

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Figure 2

Fluid shift in space. (A) Before the launching, (B) during in space, (C) after the landing.

Table 1

The change in respiratory gas pressure while breathing ambient air for 10 to 20 minutes

From Kim JH, et al. Aerospace medicine. Seoul: Hanbit; 1997 [4]. PO₂, ambient oxygen tension; PAO₂, alveolar oxygen tension; PACO₂, alveolar carbon dioxide tension; SD, standard deviation.

Table 2

Contents of emergency medical kit

From Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. The 12th enforcement regulations of civil aeronautics law (May 8, 2008) [25].