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

目标：综合有关民用和军用航空兴奋剂使用的观测数据。

背景：飞行员疲劳是一个主要的安全问题，有效的对策对于维持飞行性能至关重要。不建议在日常使用中使用兴奋剂，但在疲劳风险很高时可以帮助保持警觉性和飞行性能。然而，它们也可能引起副作用。充分了解使用兴奋剂的背景非常重要，包括影响其使用的因素以及飞行员如何看待它们。

方法：进行了系统的文献检索，以确定针对特定于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，尽管使用的流行程度和对功效的看法取决于任务需求和个人对咖啡因的反应。军用航空中兴奋剂的使用取决于几个操作因素，包括操作的持续时间和时间、最近使用的催眠药物以及是否可以使用其他疲劳对策。军事飞行员普遍认为兴奋剂是有益的，除了少数例外，副作用很少且温和。值得注意的是，大多数确定的研究发表于 10 多年前。

结论：兴奋剂的使用在航空中相对普遍，许多（但不是全部）飞行员认为它们是有益的，尽管应该在现代航空环境中进行更多的研究。除了少数例外，主要副作用很少见。