title: Recurrence of Neurological Deficits in an F/A-18D Pilot Following Loss of Cabin Pressure at Altitude.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Supersonic, high altitude aviation places its pilots and aircrew in complex environments, which may lead to injury that is not easily diagnosed or simply treated. Decompression illness (either venous or arterial) and environmental conditions (e.g., abnormal gases and pressure) are the most likely adverse effects aircrew often face. Though symptomatic aircrew personnel may occasionally require hyperbaric oxygen treatment, it is rare to require more than one treatment before returning to baseline function.
  
  
  METHODS
  This challenging aviation case details the clinical course and discusses the salient physiological factors of an F/A-18D pilot who presented with neurological symptoms following loss of cabin pressure at altitude.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most crucial to this discussion was the requirement for multiple hyperbaric oxygen treatments over several days due to recurrence of symptoms. The likelihood of recurrence during and after future flights cannot be estimated with accuracy. This case illustrates a degree of recurrences for neurological symptoms in aviation (hypobaric exposure to hyperbaric baseline environment) that has not previously been described. Robinson T, Evangelista JS III, Latham E, Mukherjee ST, Pilmanis A. Recurrence of neurological deficits in an F/A-18D pilot following loss of cabin pressure at altitude. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2016; 87(8):740-744.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Hyperbaric Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Jose S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Evangelista
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Latham
authors.forename: Samir T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilmanis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology*; D003221:Confusion / Q000209:etiology*; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D000070356:Pilots; D012008:Recurrence