Deep Vein Thrombosis - a Challenge for Travel Medicine?

Zakrzepowe zapalenie żył głębokich podudzi (DVT) staje się ważnym problemem medycyny transportu i podróży. Wiele danych wskazuje, że ryzyko rozwoju DVT może wiązać się z podróżami samolotami, trwającymi powyżej 4 godzin lub odległości powyżej 5000 km. Omówiono patogenezę schorzenia i metody profilaktyki.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has become an important challenge for travel medicine. Many studies have shown that travelers are at risk of developing DVT when traveling by plane for more than 4 hours or if the distance exceeds 5000 km. Pathogenesis of DVT and some preventive methods are presented

Circadian Rhythm of Heart Rate, Urinary Cortisol Excretion, and Sleep in Civil Air Traffic Controllers

The examination of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) from the Warsaw Airport (Poland) included 24-hr ECG monitoring. The participants were 10 civil ATCs, 9 males and 1 woman. The study was carried out on a group of 19 ATCs during their duty periods, 14 of them working 12-hr shifts and 5 performing 24-hr duties. The participants collected urine every 4 hrs, and cortisol concentration was determined. Further, the survey included the quality and duration of sleep, and subjective fatigue in the 62 participants. In ATCs, shift work modifies natural rhythms of the circulatory system and decreases the ability for intensified mental work at night. In consequence ATCs experience frequent sleep disorders

Heart Rate Variability in Exposure to High Altitude Hypoxia of Short Duration

The objective of the study is to attempt an evaluation of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) regulatory mechanisms in the presence of autonomous nervous system (ANS) components in transient exposure to high altitude hypoxia. During 24 hrs including a stay in hypobaria, the participants had their HR continuously recorded using the Holter method. The following parameters were calculated at rest and during the stay in a thermobarochamber: spectral power in low frequency bands (LF) 0.04-0.15 Hz and high frequency bands (HF) 0.15-0.5 Hz, and the sympathetic-parasympathetic balance index LF/HF. Under hypobaric conditions, a decrease in mean spectral power of R-R intervals was noted within both frequency ranges, compared with the study performed in normobaria. The observed differences were larger at daytime