IA Med/ACE Flight Physiology Exam Practice Questions and Answers

IA Med/ACE Flight Physiology Exam Practice Questions and Answers What are relative contraindications for taking patients in flight? - Answer-Anemia (low Hgb) and 24+ week gestation pregnancy. The rise in altitude can trigger baroreceptors and induce early labor What is AGL in flight physiology? - Answer-Above ground level. (Aircraft to ground level) What is MSL in flight physiology? - Answer-Mean Sea Level (how far from the plane to the mean sea level) What is ASL in flight physiology? - Answer-Above sea level. So instead of the mean, this is the actual distance from the aircraft to the sea if you're flying over it What decreases with altitude? What stays the same? - Answer-The actual oxygen concentration of 21% is the same, but the partial pressure of oxygen decreases. So diffusion is not as readily available since the high pressure moves to low pressure areas for diffusion across alveoli. Well less pressure means the process occurs slower. So your body has to work harder due to the lower pressure to maintain the same perfusion. PR and RR increase What is barometric pressure at sea level? - Answer-760 Torr. (One atmosphere) GRACEAMELIA 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR ©2024. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER, 2024 Page 2/8 If I dive three atmosphere, how many feet is that? If I dive 99 feet, how many atmosphere is that? - Answer-66. One at the surface, plus two more 4 atmosphere. one at the surface, plus three atmosphere How many feet is 1/2 atmosphere? - Answer-18k ft MSL (mean sea level) What zone is the space zone? - Answer-Anything above 50,000 ft What would exit your body at 63k feet? - Answer-All fluids because there's no pressure to hold it in. If you weren't in a pressurized cabin Name the altitude zones. - Answer-Space equivalent - 50,000ft + MSL Deficient zone - 10,000-50,000 feet Efficient zone - Sea level - 10,000 feet Can you survive in the deficient zone? - Answer-Yes, but your body will compensate through PR and RR because it has to work harder to maintain oxygenation and perfusion by increasing cardiac output. Due to low pressure What zone do humans function well in? - Answer-The efficient zone The FAA requires oxygen to the pilot and crew at how many feet if you are flying for 30+ minutes in an unpressurized cabin? - Answer-10,000 feet to prevent hypoxia GRACEAMELIA 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR ©2024. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER, 2024 Page 3/8 What is your Pao2 at 10,000 feet? - Answer-61 (that's an spo2 around 91) If a plane de - pressurized slowly during flight at 30,000 feet then you have how many seconds of useful consciousness? How many seconds do you have if the de-pressurization is rapid? - Answer-90 slow. 45 rapid. Boyles Law? - Answer-the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume. at a constant temperature. So a rise in altitude, causes expansion of gas What should you watch for on the equipment in the helicopter on ascent? - Answer- Pressure changes in the ETT cuff with a manometer, pressure bag changes, drip rate changes. EMPTY the air from all fluid bags. You don't want the gas expansion increasing your manual drip rate and causing an air embolism Why should you prophylactically intubate depressed skull fracture patients? - Answer-Boyles law can cause pneumocephalus. So the patient can being herniating in the air due to gas expansion and you have to address the "H Bombs" which can't be done if they aren't intubated. They also get agitated and combative due to rise in ICP Why do even small % pneumothorax need chest tubes before being flown? - Answer-Boyles gas law of expansion causes tension pneumothorax in the air What height will you see the biggest pressure changes? - Answer-Sea level to 5,000 feet GRACEAMELIA 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR ©2024. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER, 2024 Page 4/8 Why should you drain a foley prior to flight? - Answer-Boyles law can cause back flow of the foley and urine will back into the bladder and cause infection Charles law? - Answer-VOLUME of gas is proportional to temperature. So as temperature changes, volume of gas changes. So as it gets hotter, gas expands Daltons law? - Answer-Law of partial pressures. Increased altitude means decreased partial pressure "thinner air". which causes hypoxia. The body has to work harder to maintain the same oxygenation even though the actual 21% of O2 is the same. The pressure is lower, so diffusion doesn't occur as readily Ficks Law? - Answer-Diffusion across the alveolar membrane depends on - partial pressures, membrane area, membrane thickness. Henry's Law? - Answer-Solubility of gas in liquid. The quantity of gas dissolved in liquid is proportional to partial pressure. (decompression sickness is an exa