perspective
Evacuation Decision Criteria for Lunar Medical Emergencies: A Delphi Consensus from 47 Medical Officers: Systematic Review
Dr. A. Okonkwo
· Lunar Medical Research Cooperative
Lunar Emergency Medicine · Vol. 2, No. 1 · December 29, 2023
Abstract
Follow-up investigation building on prior work. Medical evacuation from the Moon requires 3–5 days minimum and carries its own significant risk. The decision to evacuate is therefore more complex than in terrestrial medicine. This Delphi study recruited 47 experienced lunar medical officers to develop consensus criteria for evacuation vs. local m...
Extended analysis and updated findings. The evacuation decision is the defining clinical judgment in lunar medicine. Unlike terrestrial emergency medicine — where transfer to a higher level of care is typically a risk-reduction move — lunar evacuation carries substantial risk: the patient must survive 72–120 hours of transit in a constrained vehicle, with limited monitoring and intervention capability, while physiologically stressed.
The decision criteria must therefore weigh the risk of the local condition (which may be severe) against the risk of evacuation (which is not trivial) and the probability that evacuation will reach Earth-level care before a critical deterioration.
Our Delphi panel reached consensus on 18 clinical scenarios. Strong consensus (>80% agreement) for immediate evacuation: acute coronary syndrome unrespo...
The decision criteria must therefore weigh the risk of the local condition (which may be severe) against the risk of evacuation (which is not trivial) and the probability that evacuation will reach Earth-level care before a critical deterioration.
Our Delphi panel reached consensus on 18 clinical scenarios. Strong consensus (>80% agreement) for immediate evacuation: acute coronary syndrome unrespo...
Keywords
evacuation, emergency, decision criteria, Delphi, telemedicine, acute coronary syndrome