So far, astronauts haven’t suffered medical problems much worse than a bad cold, but what about when the inevitable happens and someone needs surgery millions of miles from the nearest hospital? To seek answers, a surgical team recently carried out a simulated operation aboard a Canadian research jet designed to create weightless conditions…
The operation was conducted on June 26 about a Canadian National research Council Falcon 20 jet from Ottawa/Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, which flew in parabolic arcs similar to those flown by NASA’s famous “vomit comet.” During these arcs, when the plane is at its zenith, the passengers experience up to 30 seconds of weightlessness. During these moments, the US/Canadian surgical team carried out a proof-of-concept emergency laparotomy operation to treat a blunt trauma to the torso. This was selected because internal bleeding is relatively easy to treat, but is also very likely to be quickly fatal if unattended.
via Gizmag
