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

Abstract

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.

Time to adequately heed Acute Pain in the Emergency Department – More Regional Blocks Warranted

“…In addition to pain management for hip fractures, regional anaesthesia could also be used as an effective analgesia technique for other painful traumata, including fractures and dislocations. Options consist of thoracic or lumbar epidural analgesia, paravertebral blocks, peripheral nerve blocks, eye blocks, head and neck blocks, and erector spinae plane blocks [22]. Skilled anaesthesiologists should be able to produce an effective single ultrasound-guided nerve block for pain relief within 15 minutes of patient arrival ('door-to-block' time) at an ED.…”