The Experiment

This page gives a brief introduction to the experiment. For a more in-depth description, please see the following pages instead:

   Experiment Objectives

   Experiment Description

   Technical Description of Experiment Set-up

   In Flight Procedures and In Flight Personnel


Also see our page with General Information About Weightlessness

Motivation

Statistics show that as flight times are extended, the chances increase that onboard a space vehicle an emergency requiring appropriate airway management will occur, e.g. during a cardiac arrest, decompression events involving decompression sickness or others. Some experiments have been carried out with respect to Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) under microgravity conditions, both on parabolic flights and neutral buoyancy conditions.

A relatively new method for securing airways during CPR is the laryngeal mask (LMA), which is relatively easy to use and allows for a better ergonomic positioning of the patient. The easiness of use is especially relevant when taking into account that due to crew size constraints, medical doctors are not always available for on-site interventions, therefore, trained personnel will have to carry out the first treatment under strict procedural guidelines. The experiment is designed to validate this intubation method (LMA) compared to another airway management strategy, namely endotracheal intubation.

Description and Technical Set-Up

The (randomized) airway management (Laryngoscope guided endotracheal Intubation or Larnyx-Intubation mask) will be carried out during each 90-parabola sequence, 40 of which will be performed with a straped down test subject, and 40 will be performed on a freefloating subject. The remaining 10 parabolas have been reserved for unforeseen events. After securing the airway during zero-g, the CPR manikin is tested for air leakages by auscultation during ventilation and measuring the difference between the inspiratory and expiratory tidal volumes.

Training of the Flight Crew

The experimenters are so-called "naive intubators", meaning that they - as it is the case for most Astronauts - are trained in a short, but very intense way. The airway management procedures are to be carried out under strict procedural guidelines. In co-operation with the training division of the Red Cross in the city of Innsbruck and staff at the Department of Intensive Care medicine of the University of Innsbruck, a short theoretical course and manikin-training session will be held (first training weekend). Then, under the strict supervision of experienced anesthologists, practical experiences in a controlled environment on hospital patients shall be gained. The third step will be a neutral buoancy training at the diving pool facilities at the University of Innsbruck (second training weekend).