Middle Ear and Sinus Barotraumas of Military Pilots in Finland.

StudyAerospace medicine and human performance· Jul 2026

Middle Ear and Sinus Barotraumas of Military Pilots in Finland.

Oskari H Lindfors, Tuomo K Leino, Matti Mäntysaari, Saku T Sinkkonen

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Undersea & Hyperbaric MedicineStudyClinical practiceQ4IF 0.6

Chamber-test sinus barotrauma strongly associated with repeated in-flight sinus barotrauma in pilots

Middle Ear and Sinus Barotraumas of Military Pilots in Finland.

Oskari H Lindfors … Saku T Sinkkonen

Aerospace medicine and human performance · Jul 2026 · Q4 in Public Health

Background

Middle ear and sinus barotraumas (MEBt and SBt) are common conditions in aviation medicine, but systematic prevalence data on military pilots in real-life military flight are lacking.

Methods

An anonymous electronic questionnaire was distributed to 170 consecutive military pilots of the Finnish Defense Forces as part of their annual flight physical examinations.

n = 126

Results

Sinus barotrauma during pressure chamber testing linked to much higher odds of repeat episodes

OR by subgroup · 95% CI

More results

In total, 74% (N = 126/170) of military pilots had experienced MEBt and 60% (N = 102/170) SBt during their careers.

More results

The symptoms warranted the use of medications in 19% of pilots with MEBt and in 21% of pilots with SBt; otorhinolaryngology-related surgical procedures in 4% of pilots with MEBt and in 14% of pilots with SBt; and sick leave in 17% of pilots with MEBt and in 20% of pilots with SBt.

Middle ear and sinus barotraumas of military pilots in Finland.

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Conclusion

Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2026; 97(7):488-495.

Middle Ear and Sinus Barotraumas of Military Pilots in Finland.

Middle Ear and Sinus Barotraumas of Military Pilots in Finland.

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