Busselton September 2007

The Australian Society of Aviation Medicine, ASAM, held its annual scientific and general meeting in Busselton 200km south of Perth in September.

Interestingly, the Australians feel that Australasia means Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia despite tradition and dictionaries defining it as Australia, NZ and perhaps New Guinea. This may be shortsighted of them as apparently in 200 million years Australia will be joined to both Antarctica and New Guinea while NZ will still be a separate island. (The NZ Committee is currently discussing whether we should change our name)

Dave Powell attended and was welcomed by the Aussies & his summary of the presentations is as follows:

Keith Petrie an excellent rendition similar to Queenstown but applied to the psychology of bioterrorist attacks. Australians consider it a possible threat.

Charlie Watson on Avian Flu – it’s 10 years since the current avian flu drama began, if it hasn’t developed human-human transmission in that time perhaps it might not do so. HIV / Aids – in many ways now considered a chronic disease rather than terminal. Rates of infections & cancers has decreased as has the death rate. In indigenous Australians, females are at highest risk & constitute 80% of new cases. Sex tourists & high-risk MSM are other groups of concern. With treatment aim for zero viral load + salvage therapy. In travellers, avoid polio & TB injections & (if CD count below 400) yellow fever.

Endocarditis – new guidelines from AHA for prophylaxis – prophylactic AB’s no longer recommended for GI/GU/dental procedures unless high risk patient/procedure – not required for Mitral Valve Prolapse or bicuspid/aortic valves alone. In diagnosis a plea not to give AB’s until blood cultures obtained.
Treatment developments are transoesophageal echo & home AB therapy.

Royal Flying Doctor Service – working on portable on-board isolation units for highly contagious patients.

Cases –
1. Multiple Sclerosis -15 years from onset 20% have no impairment & at 25 years 20% walk without assistance (CASA has 20 cases)
2. Arrhythmias triggered by 3x Red Bull drink.
3. In-flight emergency in airline pax with upper-airway obstruction – turned out to be
4. Single psychotic episode - ? OK to fly years later or not ?

Avmed considerations of High performance light aircraft. You can with $1m get a jet that will go very high, very fast, very easily & without necessarily a foundation of aviation experience of other aircraft you share the sky with [sounds same as cars & boats]

Rod Westerman demonstrated his “Go2Altitude” hypoxia training set-up with nitrogen-dilution gas mixture masks & various real-time computer based psychometric tests. Currently based in Melbourne with good potential for hypoxia training.

Prostate cancer – general view by Heather Parker – PSA maximum 2.5 in your 40’s adding 1 for each decade thereafter.

TB – new quanterferon test which is a bit like a Mantoux using a blood sample. TB is massive worldwide & HIV means its spread & infectivity are increased. Smear –ve TB is still low infectivity & overall TB is less contagious than Measles.