Language
English
Publication Date
9-1-2025
Journal
Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders
DOI
10.1016/j.jvsv.2025.102249
PMID
40246171
PMCID
PMC12143787
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
4-15-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a bridge between the fields of aerospace medicine and vascular surgery, and to emphasize the need for leading experts in vascular medicine, interventional radiology, and surgery to address the critical human spaceflight research gaps highlighted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Methods: A scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted on literature published between 2000 and 2024. A well-defined search strategy was employed for keyword searches across multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, the NASA Life Science Data Archive, NASA technical reports, and Google Scholar.
Results: Our review identified 125 relevant studies. These included 30 studies on general health conditions in space and wound healing, 38 addressing risk factors associated with the space environment, and 57 studies examining prevention and treatment options. These findings address NASA's identified gaps in wound care capabilities (ExMC 4.07), contribute to defining the potential list of medical conditions that could arise during deep-space missions (ExMC 4.24, Med07, Med12, Medical-101), and serve as a milestone for developing integrated exploration medical system models for missions to the Moon and Mars (Medical-501).
Conclusions: Many of the identified NASA knowledge gaps-some of which have even been marked as closed due to a lack of research in the field-cannot be effectively addressed without bridging aerospace medicine with related disciplines, such as vascular surgery and chronic wound care.
Keywords
Humans, Space Flight, Wound Healing, Astronauts, Aerospace Medicine, Time Factors, United States, Vascular Surgical Procedures, United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Fluid shifts, Radiation, Spaceflight, Venous system, Wound care
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Babocs, Dora; Korrapati, Krishi; Lytle, Cooper; et al., "Wound-Healing and Onboard Care During Long-Duration Human Deep Space Exploration From a Surgical Perspective Through the Lens of a Scoping Review" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 6178.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/6178