Dive Medicine
Dive Medicine
Although not officially a subset of Aerospace Medicine, Dive Medicine has many similarities both in practice and spirit. The US Navy and both recreational and competitive SCUBA organizations utilize Dive Medicine experts to address the physiological stressors of underwater exploration.
Many of the unique medical conditions affecting divers such as decompression illness and trapped gas also affect aviators due to pressure changes. Similar to assessing fitness for flight, dive medicine specialists have to consider the overall health of a diver and clear them medically prior to SCUBA. Hyperbaric Medicine, a medical fellowship in itself, is often used to treat diseases that affect both aviators & divers.
Explore additional topics in Dive Medicine below!
A day in the life of a U2 Spy Plane Flight Doc
It is an exceedingly rare privilege for anyone aside from highly trained military pilots to don the yellow pressure suit and fly along the very edge of outer space in…
Clearing Your Ears
Most aviators learn early in their career that flying with a simple upper respiratory infection or seasonal allergies can be painful. Gases in the sinuses and middle ear expand in…
The Diploma in Mountain Medicine (DiMM)
Looking for a job at Everest ER? If this is a career goal of yours, you need to strongly consider acquiring a Diploma of Mountain Medicine (DiMM). This internationally recognized…
Trapped Gas – Air Expansion at Altitude
How many people have flown on a long commercial flight and landed at their destination only to find that a toiletry container had opened and spilled its contents all over…
Decompression Illness in Aviation
Before English chemist, William Henry, took his own life in 1836, he discovered a simple physics law to explain how gas behaves in solution. This gas law, now appropriately known…
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