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PubMed2002

Three-dimensional launch kinematics in leaping, parachuting and gliding squirrels.

Leaping, parachuting and gliding are the primary means by which arboreal squirrels negotiate gaps in the canopy. There are notable differences among the three locomotor modes with respect to mid-air postures and aerodynamics, yet it is unclear whether variation should also be expected during the launch phase of locomotion. To address this question, launch kinematic profiles were compared in leaping (Tamias striatus), parachuting (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and gliding (Glaucomys volans) squirrels. Animals were filmed launching to the ground from a platform using high-speed video. Statistical comparisons among taxa indicated that only six out of 23 variables were significantly different among the three species. Two were associated with tail kinematics and were a consequence of tail morphology. Two were forelimb-related and discriminated gliding from non-gliding taxa. The remaining two variables were performance attributes, indicating significant variation among the species in take-off velocity and horizontal range. The absence of significant differences in hindlimb kinematics indicates that propulsion is essentially identical in leaping, parachuting and gliding squirrels.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Civilian parachute injuries; 10 years on and no lessons learned.

The Maidstone Hospital provides trauma services to one of the largest parachute clubs in the United Kingdom. We studied injuries sustained at the club in 1994 and compared results with equivalent data from 1984. The injury rate for first time jumpers in the current study was 1.2%; half of these cases required admission for an average of 10 d. Individual morbidity and loss of productivity lasted far longer. No lessons had been learned from the first study. We question parachuting as a fund-raising venture and suggest re-evaluating the training of novice parachutists, perhaps with mandatory use of the safer rectangular parachute. At a time when healthcare rationing is an issue, individuals engaging in activities such as these might be required to indemnify themselves against the medical costs of injury currently met by the state.

Accidents↗

PubMed1996

Traumatic arm amputation, an uncommon parachuting injury.

Parachuting is a unique method of deploying troops. Accidents in parachuting are common, but usually carry minimal risk for severe injury. Most accidents occur during landing and injuries often affect the lower limbs and spine. Traumatic amputation of a limb is an extremely rare event in parachuting. We present a case of a parachutist who suffered a traumatic amputation of the left hand during jumping off the plane.

Accidents, Aviation↗

PubMed1975

Parachuting injuries: a retrospective study of 83,718 jumps.

In a retrospective study of 83,718 consecutive parachuting jumps effected in the Israeli Defence Forces, an injury rate of 6.26/1,000 jumps was observed. About two-thirds of the injuries were light. Injury rates were calculated according to type of jump (free jumps, basic course, refresher jumps, and maneuvers jumps) and time of jump (day or night). A significant difference was found between the injury rate by day (4.62/1,000) and night (11.25/1,000). The lowest injury rate was observed among free jumpers (2.96/1,000) and highest during maneuvers jumps at night (25.75/1,000). The injury rate during the basic parachuting course was 4.04/1,000, and 8.24/1,000 in refresher jumps. Clinical data collected on 723 parachuting injuries included the site and type of injury. More than 90% of the injuries were caused during the landing impact. The most vulnerable sites were the ankle (35.6% of all injuries) and the spinal vertebrae (14.5% of all injuries).

Aerospace Medicine↗

PubMed1976

Prolactin, thyrotropin, and growth hormone release during stress associated with parachute jumping.

Prolactin, growth hormone, and thyrotropin (TSH) release during the stress of parachute jumping has been evaluated in 14 male subjects. Subjects were studied at several times before and immediately after their first military parachute jump. All three hormones had risen significantly 1 to 14 min after the jump, compared to mean levels measured immediately beforehand. Earlier studies of physical exercise by ourselves and others would suggest that emotional stress played a role in producing changes of this magnitude. We conclude that prolactin, TSH, and growth hormone are released in physiologically significant amounts in association with the stress of parachute jumping.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

[The injury pattern in parachuting].

The typical injury in military parachuting is osseous or ligamentary injury of the ankle joint. When parachuting is done as a sport the risk of injury is highest in accuray jumping and formation jumping. Here; i too, most injuries involve the lower extremities. The overall risk for injury in parachuting is 1%-2%.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed1990

Military parachute mishap fatalities: a retrospective study.

Military parachuting is relatively safe. Most injuries involve vertebral bodies or the lower extremity, and fatalities are rare. We studied 49 military parachute accident facilities occurring during 1964-1989. Causes of the accidents included accidental deployment of reserve parachute in aircraft, static line failures and entanglements, equipment (canopy) failures, in-air collisions, landing injuries, drowning, and dragging. Rarely, preexisting illness such as coronary artery disease caused or contributed to an accident. Pathologic findings revealed a high proportion of deceleration and blunt force injuries: cardiac, aortic and liver laceration, and skull, pelvic and extremity fractures. Isolated head injury, strangulation, and post traumatic pulmonary embolus were occasionally noted. Toxicological examination demonstrated contributing factors such as alcohol intoxication or antihistamine use in a small number of cases. Background investigations, scene inspections, autopsy and toxicology studies all yielded important data or pertinent negatives during investigations. We propose an investigation protocol.

Accidents, Aviation↗

PubMed1985

A study of some factors influencing military parachute landing injuries.

In a retrospective study of 201,977 jumps, carried out by male military parachutists, over a 10-year period, landing injury rates were calculated according to the time of jump (day or night), the type of parachute, and meteorological data. Also, the wind speed, temperature, and the relative humidity at ground level were taken into account. The two types of parachutes used were both static line deployed, non-steerable canopies. The landing injury rate was found to be influenced by the darkness, surface area of the parachute, wind speed, and possibly temperature when higher than 25 degrees C. The influence of surface wind was best described by two segments of line with a cut-off point. The wind speed at the cut-off point is 12.75 k (6.56 m X s-1) for day jumps and 6.75 k (3.47 m X s-1) for night jumps.

Aerospace Medicine↗

PubMed1998

[Association between parachute mitral valve and Down's syndrome. Report of a case].

The trisomy 21 form of Down's syndrome is the most common human chromosomal aberration. Congenital heart disease is found in as many as 50 per cent of patients with this disorder. The two most common cardiac lesions in Down's syndrome are septal ventricular defect and endocardial cushion defect. Secundum atrial septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot and isolated patent ductus arteriosus are also observed in these Down's patients. Transposition of great arteries and coarctation of the aorta are rarely seen. Most patients having Down's syndrome with congenital heart disease have a single lesion. However, as many as 30 per cent may have multiple cardiac defects. Parachute mitral valve is a rare congenital mitral defect: a single papillary muscle in the left ventricle is the hallmark of this lesion. A parachute mitral valve is frequently associated with other left heart disorders such as supravalvular mitral ring, abnormal and stenosed mitral valve, subaortic stenosis and coarctation of the aorta, thus constituting either a complete form of Shone's complex (when all 4 components are present) or an incomplete form when there are fewer. The aim of the present report is to describe the connection between Down's syndrome and isolated, non-stenosed parachute mitral valve, which has never been reported before.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2005

Parachute tricuspid valve.

Parachute abnormality of mitral valve frequently occurs with left sided obstructive lesions though occasionally may occur as an isolated lesion. Symptoms depend upon the severity of stenosis and associated lesions. Parachute abnormality of the tricuspid valve has rarely been reported and its association with left to right shunts has not been described so far.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Injuries in military parachuting: a prospective study of 4499 jumps.

In this prospective study, the parachuting injuries which occurred during 2031 jumps in basic courses of free fall were compared with the injuries occurring during 2468 jumps for reserve paratroopers on training exercises. Fifty-eight injuries were recorded in 51 paratroopers. The ankle was most commonly affected, and 80 per cent of the injuries involved the lower extremity. Only 14 per cent of the injured troopers suffered severe injuries (fractures, knee ligament ruptures). The injury rate for paratroopers on basic courses (19.7 injuries per 1000 jumps) was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than for those on training exercises (4.5 injuries per 1000 jumps). Similar observations were made for severe injuries (2.0 versus 1.2 injuries per 1000 jumps, respectively). The injury risk increased with age. Most of the injuries occurred on landing, and about 70 per cent were mainly caused by improper landing fall technique. The rate of serious parachuting injuries was low for Norwegian paratroopers.

Accidents, Aviation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Radiotelemetric study of heart rate and electroencephalogram during parachute jumping (author's transl)].

Twelve subjects, experienced parachutists, have been recorded by telemetry before, during and after free-fall parachute jumps. The heart rate showed a statistically significant tachycardia during the different events of the jump (exit, free-fall, opening, open parachute and landing) compared to the baseline before boarding the aircraft. This tachycardia indicates a stress reaction confirmed by a significant increase of adrenalin and noradrenalin in urine. The electroencephalographic invesitgation does not show any adnormalities. Alpha rhythms have been recorded from alpha reactive subjects during free-fall stabilization.

Aviation↗

PubMed1998

[Incidence of injuries in parachuting].

During the German championships in parachuting 78 paratroopers were asked about acute injuries and chronic pain using a questionnaire. A total amount of 131 injuries was described. These were evaluated in terms of dimension and localisation. Upper and lower parts of the body were injured with a comparable frequency. Bruises (42%), fractures (19%), sprainings (16%) and dislocations (10%) were most often described. The overall injury rate according to the total number of descents (0.09%) was lower than that reported by previous literature. Therefore it can be concluded that parachuting for experienced jumpers is less dangerous than assumed until today.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Emotional stress induced by parachute jumping enhances blood nerve growth factor levels and the distribution of nerve growth factor receptors in lymphocytes.

We examined the plasma nerve growth factor (NGF) level and the distribution of NGF receptors in peripheral lymphocytes of young soldiers (mean age, 20-24 yr) experiencing the thrill of a novice about to make their first parachute jumps. Blood was collected from soldiers who knew they were selected to jump (n = 26), as well as from soldiers who knew they were not selected (n = 17, controls). The former group was sampled the evening before the jump and 20 min after landing. Compared with controls, NGF levels increased 84% in prejump and 107% in postjump sampling. Our studies also showed that the increase of NGF levels preceded the increase of plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone. No changes in the baseline levels of circulating interleukin 1 beta or tumor necrosis factor were found, suggesting that the increased levels of NGF were not correlated with change in these cytokines. Moreover, immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that parachuting stress enhances the distribution of low-affinity p75LNGFR and high-affinity p140trkA NGF receptors in circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These observations suggest that the release of NGF might be involved in the activation of cells of the immune system and is most probably associated with homeostatic adaptive mechanisms, as previously shown for stressed rodents.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Ambulatory ECG recording during competitive parachute jumping in apparently healthy young men: more evidence for intermittent vagal dominance during enhanced sympathetic activity.

Using two-channel 24-hour ambulatory ECG recording we studied seven healthy young men during one day of parachute jumping competition (day 1), as compared to one control day (day 2). A symptom limited exercise test was also performed on day 2. Maximal heart rates attained during exercise testing were of the same order as during parachute jumping. In the phases just prior to 'exit', short periods of striking sinus arrhythmia with slow atrial rhythm were present in 3 subjects. Only one of these had slow atrial rhythm during the control day. Atrial and ventricular premature complexes, when present, disappeared with higher heart rates under all circumstances. No AV conduction disturbances were found.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Military static line parachute injuries.

A prospective study of 8886 military static line parachute descents causing 63 injuries including one fatality, is presented. The overall injury rate was 7.1 per 1000 descents. The injury rate was significantly greater when combat equipment was carried (13.7 per 1000), and greater still with tactical flying and simultaneous door exits (16.6 per 1000). These rates are both higher than those reported in other military studies, and higher than those in civilian studies. However, civilian parachutists sustain more fractures than military parachutists, most likely due to lower standards of fitness and training. The types of injuries which are now sustained have changed markedly from those first seen in the mass parachute deployments of World War Two. Fracture-dislocation of the shoulder has become the new 'paratroopers's fracture'. This injury occurs most commonly in descents with cross-winds of greater than 10 knots.

Aerospace Medicine↗

PubMed1979

Parachute deformity of the tricuspid valve.

A parachute deformity of the tricuspid valve occurred in a heart with atrioventricular concordance, double outlet right ventricle, and straddling mitral valve. Although to the best of our knowledge parachute deformity of the tricuspid valve has not previously been reported, in this case its presence was insignificant in relation to the other lesions.

Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular↗

PubMed1979

[Parachute tricuspid valve associated with Fallot's tetralogy].

Parachute deformity of the tricuspid valve was observed with a severe form of Fallot's Tetralogy with pulmonary atresia in a newborn. Signs of tricuspid stenosis (peripheral oedema, right atrial dilatation, hepatomegaly and conduction defects) were associated with the clinical signs of the principal malformation (severe hypoxaemia). To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of parachute deformity of the tricuspid valve.

Humans↗