Anesthesia and Surgery in Space: Comment

Abstract

W e read the recent article penned by Komorowski et al. 1 with great interest, and we congratulate the authors on a well-composed and thought-provoking article addressing space exploration and the challenges of medical care, especially anesthesia, in this austere environment.Although undersea and hyperbaric medicine is often associated with treating conditions secondary to increases in ambient pressure, such as those arising from scuba diving, it also aids in understanding and treating the pathophysiology 4. Wu X, Jiang Z, Ying J, Han Y, Chen Z: Optimal blood pressure decreases acute kidney injury after gastrointestinal surgery in elderly hypertensive patients: A randomized study: Optimal blood pressure reduces acute kidney injury.

Anesthesia and Surgery in Space: Reply

“…As pointed out by Drs. Covington and Moon, 1 in response to our recent article, 2 mitigating the risk of decompression sickness is of utmost importance for future missions to the Moon or Mars. This risk is proportional to the ratio R between the partial pressure of nitrogen in the tissues and the pressure of the spacesuit.…”