Helping Astronauts Combat Orthostatic Intolerance

Dr. Kevin McKee, consultant and practicing physician, has extensive experience in aerospace medicine. Several years ago, Dr. Kevin McKee wrote two papers on the effects of prolonged space travel on astronauts, one of which is orthostatic intolerance.

Orthostatic intolerance is a condition that results from the effects of weightlessness on the body. When astronauts enter space and weightlessness takes over, the blood travels through the legs and toward the head within the first few hours of flight. After landing back on Earth, however, the movement of blood back to all parts of the body is not effective. As a result, astronauts might feel dizzy or light-headed, have blurred vision, and are fatigued.

Over the years, several studies have been completed to determine the exact causes of this condition and to find a remedy for it. A few years ago, however, NASA contracted with Essity to design a suit that would counteract the effects of orthostatic intolerance in astronauts. Essity's JOBST compression orthostatic compression garment (OIG), worn on future deep-space missions, is expected to remedy this condition.

The suit is a three-piece garment, which protects against orthostatic intolerance the following two weeks after space travel. The two conditions that the suit is designed to protect against are hypotension (low blood pressure) and presyncope (light-headedness, faintness, and blurred vision).