Extravehicular activity (EVA) emergency aid for extended planetary surface missions: through-the-spacesuit intravenous (IV) administration

Abstract

Future NASA space exploration strategic plans will call for extended human presence in space, with long term missions to the Moon and/or Mars. This human presence in extra-terrestrial locations will require use of Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs). Planetary surface EVAs will be an essential part of human space exploration, but involve inherently dangerous procedures which can put crew safety at risk. To help mitigate these risks, astronaut training programs will spend substantial attention on preparing for planetary surface EVA emergencies. And though EVA emergency protocols will be to transport an ill/injured EVA crewmember to a pressurized safe haven for medical intervention, there may be situations where this will not be expeditiously possible. Furthermore, even though most serious health risks will be diagnosed before flight, there will be unforeseeable EVA illnesses and/or injuries which may require the use of intravenous (IV) fluid administration. ❧ The purpose of this research is to propose a through-the-spacesuit IV administration concept approach for future spacesuits. This capability would allow for enhanced patient accessibility during EVA emergencies. In the case of serious injury and/or illness during an EVA, IV fluid administration might be necessary until the patient is transported back to a pressurized safe haven. To date, only Apollo spacesuits have incorporated a through-the-spacesuit injection provision, which allowed for intramuscular (IM) injections. However, no spacesuit has incorporated an IV capability. ❧ The methodology to conduct this research was to identify key researchers in the spacesuit design and aerospace medicine fields and engage them in this study. An extensive literature review was also performed, which concluded that no prior spacesuit had an IV capability incorporated into its design; a through-the-spacesuit concept approach was developed and tested; and topics were identified to be performed as part of future research. ❧ The reason for this research arose from the author's participation (as EVA Director) at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), NASA Spaceward Bound Program, Crew 61, 2007. During this crew rotation, EVA medical simulations were performed, which concluded that the time to transport an injured EVA crewmember back to a pressurized habitat was significant. It was determined that during this first-aid response period, it might be necessary to administer IV fluids to the patient. However, such a provision is not presently available for a spacesuit. ❧ Emergency conditions that NASA has determined would need IV infusions of some type were identified and grouped. Out of these conditions, only the ones that would be feasible to occur in an EVA were extracted (in doing so, conditions that would not occur during an EVA were eliminated, e.g., food poisoning). Once a set of possible conditions needing IV during an EVA was established, it was necessary to understand the best way of delivering the IV medication. Various types of IV infusion methods were researched, namely, peripheral IV lines, central IVs, and chest ports. After completing a certified IV Training Course and consulting with medical doctors, including interventional radiologists, it was determined that for long-term use, chest ports had the lowest rate of infection and could be used for the longest duration. ❧ This study concludes that emergencies in space will happen, both inside and outside living habitats. For those EVA emergencies requiring IV administration, a through-the-spacesuit IV provision is feasible with the use of an implanted chest port, and spacesuit IV chest port connector interfaces.