ABSTRACT

Objective: To synthesize the observational data on stimulant use in civilian and military aviation.

Background: Pilot fatigue is a major safety concern and effective countermeasures are crucial for sustaining flight performance. Stimulants are not recommended for routine use but can help sustain alertness and flight performance when the risk of fatigue is high. However, they may also elicit side effects. It is important to fully understand the contexts in which stimulants are used, including factors that contribute to their use and how aviators perceive them.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify observational studies on stimulant use specific to aviation tasks.

Results: Caffeine was frequently used in civilian aviation, though prevalence of use and perceptions about efficacy depend on task demands and individual caffeine responses. Stimulant use in military aviation was dependent on several operational factors, including the duration and timing of operations, recent hypnotic medication use, and whether other fatigue countermeasures could be utilized. Military aviators generally viewed stimulants as beneficial and side effects were sparse and mild-moderate with a few exceptions. Notably, most studies identified were published over 10 years ago.

Conclusion: Stimulant use is relatively common in aviation and many (but not all) aviators perceive them as beneficial, though more studies should be conducted in the modern aviation environment. Major side effects were rare, with a few exceptions.

摘要

目的：综合民用和军用航空中兴奋剂使用的观测数据。

背景：飞行员疲劳是主要的安全隐患，有效的对策对于维持飞行性能至关重要。不建议将刺激剂常规使用，但当疲劳风险很高时，可以帮助保持机敏性和飞行性能。但是，它们也可能引起副作用。重要的是要充分了解使用兴奋剂的环境，包括有助于使用兴奋剂的因素以及飞行员如何看待兴奋剂。

方法：进行系统的文献检索，以鉴定针对航空任务的兴奋剂使用的观察性研究。

结果：咖啡因经常用于民用航空，尽管使用率和对功效的认识取决于任务要求和个人咖啡因反应。军用航空中的兴奋剂使用取决于几个操作因素，包括操作的持续时间和时间，最近的催眠药物的使用以及是否可以使用其他疲劳对策。军用飞行员通常将兴奋剂视为有益的，且副作用很少且轻度中度，只有少数例外。值得注意的是，大多数确定的研究都是在10年前发表的。

结论：刺激性使用在航空中相对普遍，尽管应该在现代航空环境中进行更多研究，但许多（但不是全部）飞行员都认为刺激性是有益的。除少数例外，主要副作用很少见。