Middle Ear Barotrauma in Military Aircrew: Analysis of Risk Factors

Abstract

Introduction: Middle ear barotrauma is a common medical problem related to aviation; because the aviation environment exposes the aviator to a rapidly changing ambient pressure. Middle ear barotrauma occurs when the Eustachian tube failed to equalize middle ear pressure with ambient pressure during flight. Objective: To determine the prevalence of middle ear barotraumas among aircrew on Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) and to find the risk factors of middle ear barotrauma. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on middle ear barotrauma in aircrew of BAF from February 2018 to January 2019. Aircrew who experienced fullness in the ear or ear pain during flight and visited the flight surgeon was enrolled in this study. Modified TEED scale used for grading of middle ear barotrauma. Results: The study revealed middle ear barotrauma in the aircrew was 12.0% with a higher prevalence among the student pilots (14.2%) compared with trained pilots (5.9%), the mean age of aircrew was 23.2 ± 3.6 years. The right ear (43.5%) was affected in most of the cases than the left ear (34.8%). Most of the symptoms developed at a stage of descending (60.9%). The duration (mean± SD) of sickness was 7.6±3.7 days. Conclusion: Middle ear barotrauma or ear block is common in trainee aircrew but it is also seen in the experienced pilots who fly with upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) or a common cold. Appropriate training on ear physiology related to pressure changes inside the hypobaric altitude chamber can prevent the incidence of middle ear barotrauma. JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 17, No 1 (June) 2021: 14-17

Middle Ear Barotrauma among Licensed Para-pilots of a Metropolitan City: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

“… 7 The literature review of middle ear barotrauma done in military aircrews showed the prevalence of 12% which is slightly lower than our study on para-pilots. 8 A study done in aircraft passengers revealed the prevalence of 14% which is slightly higher than our survey. 9 …”

Lama, Kedalaman dan Frekuensi Penyelaman terhadap Kejadian Barotrauma Telinga pada Nelayan Penyelam Tradisional

“…Pada derajat 4, perdarahan telah terjadi pada telinga bagian dalam. Pada derajat 5, selain tampak adanya perdarahan pada liang telinga luar, derajat ini disertai juga dengan ruptur membran timpani (Liton et al, 2022;Nofz et al, 2020). Dari 33 responden yang mengalami barotrauma telinga tengah dan dalam, teridentifikasi dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 27 orang (81,8%) diantaranya sudah masuk dalam derajat 1, terdapat 5 orang (15,2%) dengan derajat 2 dan 1 orang (3%) dengan derajat 3.…”