Risks of Decompression Sickness and Venous Thromboembolism during Spaceflight and Patent Foramen Ovale Implications
Image: NASA
Machine-written summary, checked against the sources below
NASA's Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer formed a working group in August 2026 to review data on decompression sickness during EVA prebreathe testing, venous thromboembolism in flight, and patent foramen ovale, as these relate to Artemis missions. The group's recommendations build on outcomes from previous OCHMO working groups.
NASA’s Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer formed a working group in August 2026 to review the most recent data related to extravehicular activity (EVA) prebreathe testing and decompression sickness (DCS) events, venous thromboembolism (VTE) in-flight occurrences, and patent foramen ovale (PFO) implication as they relate to NASA’s Artemis (lunar and beyond) missions. The recommendations from this working group are built upon and integrate the outcomes of previous working groups hosted by OCHMO.
Summary by NASA, the primary source