Search

The article discusses the importance of managing health conditions, specifically diabetes, in pilots and air traffic control officers to ensure safe aviation operations. The study compares the use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) and Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) in pilots with diabetes, highlighting the benefits of CGM in terms of efficiency and user satisfaction. Pilots generally prefer CGM over SMBG due to its convenience and accuracy, potentially improving glucose management and preventing incapacitation during flights. The study suggests that CGMs hold promise in enhancing diabetes management in aviation, despite the need for calibration and frequent replacements. [Extracted from the article]

Hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems remain underexplored within aviation, and as atmospheric pressure changes can independently affect insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring readings, this preliminary study assessed the feasibility of HCL safety evaluation, in both fasting and post-prandial states, by using hypobaric chamber to simulate flights. Participants with type 1 diabetes and on HCL were studied: Medtronic Guardian 4-Medtronic 780G-SmartGuard (n = 4), Dexcom G6-Omnipod DASH-Android APS (n = 1), and Dexcom G6-Ypsomed Pump-CamAPS (n = 1). Flight cabin pressures of 550 mmHg and 750 mmHg were simulated in a hypobaric chamber. Seven-hundred-50 glucose measurements were taken, with glucose levels demonstrating a stable decline to 4 mmol/L during fasting. To maintain a tight fasting and post-prandial glucose range across the different pressure settings, the HCL administered insulin as expected. While not demonstrating any apparent issues, repeating flight simulation protocol with other systems, examining longer flights, and undertaking larger, powered randomised controlled trials can confirm their safety in aviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]