Deep Space Exploration and Medical Preparedness
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The day is done. We're just getting started. The Last Show with David Cooper. Want to hop on a spaceship and head out there and orbit the moon? That's all fine and well, but you got to be in tip-top medical shape. You got to be in good health. And what happens if there's a health emergency in deep space? Well, that is a question we are about to explore with Dr. Farhan Azrar, a Toronto-based physician and space medicine researcher.
What is space medicine and why is it important?
Farhan, welcome to the show. Thank you. My pleasure. So tell me about space medicine. I have to admit, when we reached out to you, I'd never even realized that would be a field. How does it differ from just regular old medicine?
Well, it is like even growing up, like I've always been fascinated about space. And I think once I went into like medicine as well, even I was surprised to find out that someone can make a career out of this and really be professionally involved. Space medicine as a whole is basically, it's just the health and caring of astronauts and humans in space so that they can adequately live and work in space.
Is it a particularly risky environment? I know for one, like your balance, you get vertigo, your head spins, your orientation of what's up and down can make you nauseous and throw up. Like, are there any like obvious concerns that people wouldn't consider that the second you step in that seat or step in that chair or sit in that chair and head off like it's now going to be a problem?
Well, space as a whole, I would say, is quite a disabling and challenging environment. The strain that it puts on our body, and literally every part of a system can be challenging, and even from space exploration as a whole. So right from the get-go, the launch perspective, the G-force you're getting, the strains of being launched into space is one challenge. The microgravity or the lack of gravity that is in space, along with even radiation exposure and so many other factors, puts really a strain on all our systems. Like we know that it can affect, let's say your bone mass, people are losing anywhere between like anywhere from like 1.5 to even 2% of bone mass per month. They could even basically losing muscle mass
You also could be basically like we've been noticing fluid shifts are causing changes in our vision, causing increased risk of kidney stones, kidney issues as well. There were even an incident of an astronaut getting a blood clot in space as well. So literally, I could say that it's quite challenging from every perspective. We do have countermeasures in place to address those, but it can be a really challenging environment.
Yeah, if I get a blood clot or a kidney stone, I head to the clinic. I call 911. Medical care is right then and there available to me in a hospital. If that happens in space, I imagine there's all kinds of contingency plans or plans if an emergency happens. But what are they? What happens if an astronaut would have dialed 911 on Earth and they're stuck out in space with like a heart attack or a blood clot or I don't know anything?
That's a great question. And that is just the challenges that space medicine has to address. On a whole, anytime a medical issue arises, so all the crew members, all the astronauts are trained to a certain level in that basic medical training, how do you respond to an emergency, assess the situation. Among the crew members, there are some who are designated as what we call crew medical officers. So they receive an enhanced level of training to address these situations. They could even carry out minor procedures. Astronauts do have their medical kits and bags. So it has like a whole bunch of like, let's say instruments that might be needed, medications that might be needed though as well. And they would address, handle that situation, see what the issue is.
Someone got injured, someone's feeling dizzy or whatnot. Once they address the situation it's looking at, can we resolve it then and there? Or do we need further expertise? So currently, let's say at the ISS, the International Space Station, they would then also connect with experts at Earth through remote medicine.
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