Subdural Hemorrhage in a Military Aviator.

Background: The occurrence of any intracranial bleeding is highly significant from an aeromedical risk perspective and potentially career-ending for a military aviator. Where it arises from head trauma, there is always concern regarding ongoing risk of post-traumatic epilepsy.

Case Report: A 26-yr-old male military aviator with persistent headache was found to have small right frontal and parietal subacute subdural hematomas, most likely precipitated by minor head trauma and possibly exacerbated by other concurrent physiological stressors.

Hypoxia awareness training for aircrew: a comparison of two techniques.

Introduction: Major hazards associated with hypoxia awareness training are the risks of decompression sickness, barotrauma, and loss of consciousness. An alternate method has been developed which combines exposure to a simulated altitude of 10,000 ft (3048 m) with breathing of a gas mixture containing 10% oxygen and 90% nitrogen. The paradigm, called Combined Altitude and Depleted Oxygen (CADO), places the subjects at a physiological altitude of 25,000 ft (7620 m) and provides demonstration of symptoms of hypoxia and the effects of pressure change.

In-flight hypoxia incidents in military aircraft: causes and implications for training.

Background: Hypoxia has long been recognized as a significant physiological threat at altitude. Aircrew have traditionally been trained to recognize the symptoms of hypoxia using hypobaric chamber training at simulated altitudes of 25,000 ft or more. The aim of this study was to analyze incidents of hypoxia reported to the Directorate of Flying Safety of the Australian Defence Force (DFS-ADF) for the period 1990-2001, as no previous analysis of these incidents has been undertaken.