ABPM Aerospace Medicine case studies
ABPM Aerospace Medicine · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Board certification in Aerospace Medicine is one of the primary specialty credentials offered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM). ABPM describes the specialty as focusing on the clinical care, research, and operational support of the health, safety, and performance of air and space vehicle crew members, passengers, and support personnel, a population that often works and lives in remote, isolated, extreme, or enclosed environments under physical and psychological stress, with specialists striving for an optimal human-machine match in settings rich with environmental hazards and engineering countermeasures. The ABPM Aerospace Medicine case studies are 5 cases and about 2,830 words.
1Syncope in an Airline Captain: Return-to-Flight Decision
A 47-year-old airline captain with 9,800 hours and a current first-class medical collapsed for about 10 seconds while standing after a hot shower. He had no warning, no chest pain, no palpitations, and no injury.
578 words, about 3 min2Post-Chamber Joint Pain and Rash: Decompression Sickness Triage
A 35-year-old altitude-chamber technician completes a four-hour training profile with repeated exposures to 25,000 ft for 5 minutes and 35,000 ft for 3 minutes, including two rapid decompressions. Forty-five minutes after the final exposure he reports aching behind both knees, itching over the abdomen, and a mottled violaceous rash.
581 words, about 3 min3Asymmetric Hearing Loss in a Helicopter Maintainer
A 41-year-old helicopter maintenance supervisor has 12 years of rotary-wing noise exposure, often 105–110 dBA for 10-hour shifts. He reports constant tinnitus and difficulty hearing speech in the hangar, especially on his right.
536 words, about 3 min4Microsleeps on Approach: Fatigue Risk and Roster Pressure
A 38-year-old first officer on a short-haul jet reports two episodes of nodding off in the cruise and one microsleep during an approach briefing over the past month. He has had five consecutive early starts with 04:30 report times, 9-hour duty days, and eight landings per day.
576 words, about 3 min5Renal Colic on the ISS: Remote Management vs Evacuation
A 46-year-old astronaut is four months into a six-month ISS mission. He develops sudden severe left flank pain, nausea, and gross hematuria.
559 words, about 3 min