Airsickness treatment and prevention: Recommendations regarding antiemetics and/or acustimulation

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dc.contributor.advisorDr. Billy U. Philipsen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDr. Darlene A. Martinen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDr. Daniel H. Freemanen_US
dc.creatorShean Eric Phelpsen_US
dc.date.accessioned2011-12-20T16:04:30Z
dc.date.accessioned2014-02-19T22:05:01Z
dc.date.available2009-06-09en_US
dc.date.available2011-12-20T16:04:30Z
dc.date.available2014-02-19T22:05:01Z
dc.date.created2007-03-30en_US
dc.date.issued2007-03-30en_US
dc.description.abstractAirsickness has been an important concern for aviation since before World War II. Airsickness is still a topic of serious discussion in the aviation community, despite recent advances in medical science, aircraft engineering and performance. Symptoms of motion sickness range from mild to incapacitating in nature and can cause degradation in performance measures of reaction time, postural stability and cognitive functioning. This can result in unacceptable work force losses, incur significant costs, and ultimately result in mission compromise and/or missing critical objectives. Current pharmacological interventions may produce side effects such as sedation and diminished cognition. \r\nAcustimulation at the median P6, or Neiguan, point has recently generated interest as a non-pharmacological means of preventing motion sickness. A recent study evaluating a popular acupressure wristband reported it to be effective in the suppression of the major symptoms (nausea and vomiting) of motion sickness. This study concluded that continuous vigorous stimulation of the P6 point was required to achieve a significant benefit. \r\nThe commercially available Reliefband® provides electrical acustimulation at the P6 point thereby reportedly countering symptoms of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Its makers market it as “the only FDA-cleared device for motion sickness”. A literature search revealed that no published studies comparing currently available pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic (Reliefband®) motion sickness treatments in conjunction with rotary wing operations are available. \r\nThis capstone describes a randomized, double blind, cross over study comparing the effectiveness of four airsickness countermeasures to a placebo control and to each other on reaction time, postural stability, and cognition in relation to airsickness symptom severity and their ability to ameliorate performance declines following simulated rotary wing combat operations. The data suggest that only the combination of phenergan with caffeine was effective in achieving these measures. This study will help enable the aerospace medical community to make recommendations to military commanders and civilian policy makers concerning the ability of viable treatments to mitigate performance decrements seen because of rotary wing flight induced motion sickness. \r\nen_US
dc.format.mediumelectronicen_US
dc.identifier.otheretd-03302007-135641en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152.3/76
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright © is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the TDL web site by The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.en_US
dc.subjectrotary-wing flighten_US
dc.subjectnauseaen_US
dc.subjectmotion sicknessen_US
dc.subjectkinetosisen_US
dc.titleAirsickness treatment and prevention: Recommendations regarding antiemetics and/or acustimulationen_US
dc.type.genrethesisen_US
dc.type.materialtexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentPreventative Medicine and Community Healthen_US
thesis.degree.grantorThe University of Texas Medical Branchen_US
thesis.degree.levelMasteren_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Public Healthen_US

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