title: Emergency medicine in space.
abstract: Recent events, including the development of space tourism and commercial spaceflight, have increased the need for specialists in space medicine. With increased duration of missions and distance from Earth, medical and surgical events will become inevitable. Ground-based medical support will no longer be adequate when return to Earth is not an option. Pending the inclusion of sub-specialists, clinical skills and medical expertise will be required that go beyond those of current physician-astronauts, yet are well within the scope of Emergency Medicine. Emergency physicians have the necessary broad knowledge base as well as proficiency in basic surgical skills and management of the critically ill and injured. Space medicine shares many attributes with extreme conditions and environments that many emergency physicians already specialize in. This article is an introduction to space medicine, and a review of current issues in the emergent management of medical and surgical disease during spaceflight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, USA.
authors.forename: Lowan H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trunkey
authors.forename: G Steve
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Rebagliati
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D004630:Emergencies; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000502:physiology; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000502:physiology; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000503:physiopathology; D010953:Plasma Volume / Q000502:physiology; D013026:Space Flight; D018531:Spacecraft; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology; D014893:Weightlessness