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Biomedical subjects

J P Albano

Publications and source records attributed to J P Albano.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Spatial disorientation in U.S. Army rotary-wing operations.

This paper describes two surveys concerning spatial disorientation (SD) in U.S. Army rotary-wing operations that sought to assess the hazard and to identify recommendations to control it. One survey was of accident records, and the other was of aircrew experiences. Both surveys highlighted the magnitude of the problem. The accident survey showed that 30% of class A to C accidents involved SD as a significant factor, while the aircrew survey showed that 78% of aircrews have been disoriented (8% to the extent that flight safety was threatened). Both surveys showed a significant increase in SD associated with combat operations. Several differences between the two surveys were noted: 90% of the reviewed accidents were thought to involve type I (unrecognized) SD compared with only 43% of the reported incidents; both pilots in a particular aircraft were considered to have been disoriented in at least 59% of accidents compared with 23% of incidents; sudden loss of visual cues ("brownout," "whiteout," or inadvertent entry to instrument meteorological conditions) accounted for 25% of SD accidents compared with 13% of incidents; and 62% of the accidents occurred at night compared with only 36% of incidents. Neither survey showed any association between SD and fatigue or other human factors. The results of both surveys suggested that crew coordination, alerting devices (e.g., audio warnings on the radar altimeter), flight information displays, and autopilot functions would be good targets for improvement.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed1996

Reduction and mitigation of thermal injuries: what can be done?

Soon after the introduction of the crashworthy fuel system and Nomex flight apparel, morbidity and mortality rates from thermal injuries in aviation were reduced to zero. Although the incidence of aircraft mishaps involving postcrash fires have remained the same, there has been a recent increase in thermal injury morbidity. These case reports describe three different aircraft accidents in which fire was caused by factors other than the crashworthy fuel system. They also describe sustained thermal injuries and compare them to personal protection equipment. We found that the condition of the personal protective equipment and unauthorized use of unapproved apparel were responsible for the sustained injuries. We maintain that personal protection equipment is effective if worn in the manner for which it was designed. We believe that the lessons learned apply to all military operations where the risk of fire is high, not solely aviation. A proactive program focused on education would reduce the thermal injury morbidity.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed1996

Injury risk for research subjects with spina bifida occulta in a repeated impact study: a case review.

Spina bifida occulta (SBO) occurs in 18-34% of the normal U.S. population. Recently, 16.5% of normal, asymptomatic male soldier volunteer candidates in a U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory ride motion study were excluded from the study because they had SBO at one vertebral level. Disqualifying this percentage of screened research subject candidates threatened the timely completion of the schedule-intense protocol. Although one study suggests that SBO at spinal level S1 has a higher incidence of posterior disc herniation, the preponderance of clinical literature reports that spina bifida occulta is not a medical problem. The impact literature indicates that lumbosacral vertebral bodies fracture at 7.14 kN in static compression and 20+ G during dynamic vertical impacts. In this paper, we examined the human data observed in ejection seat incidents, the rationale for excluding volunteers with single level SBO and the path of axial load transmission through the lumboscral spine. Based on the findings, we concluded that research volunteers with single level SBO are not at increased risk for injury and recommended inclusion of these volunteers in future studies involving repeated axial impacts due to ride motion.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Bulbo-spinal respiratory effects originating from the splanchnic afferents.

Phrenic nerve responses to non-hypertensive stimulation of the visceral afferents originating from the pancreatico-duodenal area and running along the greater splanchnic nerve were studied on cats anaesthetized with sodium thiopentone, paralysed with gallamine and vagotomized. In these intact animals, a biphasic response, short activation followed by a long inhibition, was recorded in the phrenic nerve. In animals then spinalized between C1 and C2 this splanchnico-phrenic reflex persisted. The latency of the first phase was unchanged, but its amplitude increased. In intact animals, the unitary activity of 16 inspiratory neurons and 10 expiratory neurons was recorded in the part of the medulla oblongata corresponding to the ventral respiratory group. Simultaneously the overall activity of the contralateral phrenic nerve was recorded. The stimulation of splanchnic afferents caused a long inhibition of the bulbar inspiratory neurons and an activation of the expiratory neurons. The latency of the bulbar inhibition was consistently less than the latency of the phrenic inhibition. The fact that this reflex effect persisted in spinal animals with an activation phase of the same latency proves that the bulbar centres and the phrenic motoneurons are independently connected to the splanchnic afferents. The possible functional significance of the reflex is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

[The role of splanchnic afferences of the duodeno-pancreatic zone in vomiting].

The duodenum and pancreas of the cat send splanchnic afferences via the anterior nerve branches. The latter run along the coeliac artery. The stimulation of those pathways induced pattern alteration of the respiratory command signal. After an interruption of phrenic nerve discharge, the respiratory function was mobilized to empty the stomach. It is suggested that the duodenum is systematically involved in all types of vomiting.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1977

[Preliminary results on the splanchnico-laryngeal reflex in the cat].

Electrical stimulation of low threshold splanchnic afferent nerves in lightly anesthetized cat results in phrenic and recurrent laryngeal nerve responses. Both phrenic and recurrent laryngeal inspiratory nerve activities are inhibited, whereas expiratory recurrent nerve activity is triggered and even increased. The significance of this reflex is discussed in relation to laryngeal adductor muscle contractions and the abdominal pressure increase.

Afferent Pathways↗