MOSCOW. Feb 17 (Interfax-AVN) - If an astronaut falls ill on the International Space Station (ISS), he has to last 72 hours on medications before being evacuated to Earth, Alexei Polyakov, a department head at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Interfax-AVN.
"If something extraordinary happens, then, according to the requirements to the supply of medications to the ISS crew, the ISS has the resources to provide first aid and sustain an ill or injured crewmember for 72 hours. It's the period of time the ground-based services need to prepare for the crew's landing," he said.
All in all, the Russian segment of the ISS has 18 medical facilities that can be used for providing first aid and treatment for non-serious illnesses.
"Specialists from the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems monitor the expiration dates of medications very carefully. Every Progress supply spacecraft takes 5-6 facilities to the ISS to replace expired pharmacy cabinets. All 18 facilities in the Russian segment of the ISS are fully renewed in the course of about a year," he said.
In a situation of a routine landing, Rosaviatsiya forms a group to look for and rescue landed space crews. This group is composed of Rosaviatsiya specialists and representatives of various ministries and agencies. The Russian Defense Ministry provides equipment and aviation and medical specialists. A group of specialists from RKK Energiya are now providing maintenance services to the reentry module after landing, organizes its delivery to the enterprise, and works with cargo returned form the orbit. The medical support of the search and rescue operations is provided by specialists from the Defense Ministry, the Cosmonaut Training Center, the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, and the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems. The search and rescue group is comprised of "flight doctors" from all partner countries.
"Medical and technical specialists from the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems arrive to the landing site. They deploy a medical evacuation facility, a so-called medical tent, in which the crewmembers can wash and change their clothes. If need be, the crewmembers can undergo medical evaluations and receive medical assistance," Polyakov said.
In the event of an emergency, when an ISS astronaut returning to earth from the ISS is injured or ill, appropriate specialists and medical facilities can be provided to medical team working on the landing site. An ill astronaut can receive first medical aid in the tent deployed on the landing site and the astronaut can be evacuated to a medical establishment if his condition allows that. Interaction with the local health establishments is organized for such situations.
"I remember one case when we had to use the services of local healthcare establishments. One astronaut was flown to an interim aerodrome by helicopter from the landing site. From there, he was taken to a regional clinic via sanitary transport, where he underwent a medical evaluation. As a result, all doubts were eliminated and a decision was made to transport him further," Polyakov said.
"By the way, specialists are trained and hospital beds and medical facilities, including medications, instruments, and blood supplies are kept in the nearest medical establishments for possible emergencies at landing sites. Preparations are made for possible situations, including the most unfavorable ones," he said.