The role for regional anesthesia in medical emergencies during deep space flight.

Julia Scarpa, Christopher L Wu

Regional anesthesia and pain medicine 2021 Oct

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As humanity presses the boundaries of space exploration and prepares for long-term interplanetary travel, including to Mars, advanced planning for the safety and health of the crewmembers requires a multidisciplinary approach. In particular, in the event of a survivable medical emergency requiring an interventional procedure or prolonged pain management, such as traumatic limb injury or rib fracture, anesthetic protocols that are both safe and straightforward to execute must be in place. In this daring discourse, we discuss particular considerations related to the use of regional techniques in space and present the rationale that regional anesthesia techniques may be the safest option in many medical emergencies encountered during prolonged space flight. © American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

Citation

Julia Scarpa, Christopher L Wu. The role for regional anesthesia in medical emergencies during deep space flight. Regional anesthesia and pain medicine. 2021 Oct;46(10):919-922