Examining the effect of exit separation on aircraft evacuation performance using evacuation modelling techniques: "Is the 60 foot rule relevant?"

This paper examines the influence of exit separation, exit availability and seating configuration on aircraft evacuation efficiency and evacuation time. The purpose of this analysis is to explore how these parameters influence the 60 foot exit separation requirement found in aircraft certification rules. The analysis makes use of the airEXODUS evacuation model and is based on a typical wide-body aircraft cabin section involving two pairs of Type-A exits located at either end of the section with a maximum permissible loading of 220 passengers located between the exits. The analysis reveals that there is a complex relationship between exit separation and evacuation efficiency. Indeed, other factors such as exit flow rate and exit availability are shown to exert a strong influence on critical exit separations. A main finding of this work is that for the cabin section examined under certification conditions, exit separations up to 170 feet will result in approximately constant total evacuation times and average personal evacuation times. This practical exit separation threshold is decreased to 114 feet if another combination of exits is selected. While other factors must also be considered when determining maximum allowable exit separations, these results suggest it is not possible to mandate a maximum exit separation without taking into consideration exit type, exit availability and aircraft configuration. This has implications when determining maximum allowable exit separations for wide and narrow body aircraft. It is also relevant when considering the maximum allowable separation between different exit types on a given aircraft configuration.

Barriers to effective pain management in sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a long-term condition that would benefit from a long-term conditions approach to its care and management. SCD is growing in prevalence, affecting 10,000-12,000 people in the UK, with SCD sufferers having an increased life expectancy from in the past. The most problematic aspect of managing SCD is management of the pain from vaso-occlusive crises. Vaso-occlusive pain is the most common reason for hospital admissions in people with SCD and accounts for large numbers of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances. A literature review was carried out to examine the management of vaso-occlusive pain in SCD. The review identified three main barriers to effective pain management in SCD: the manifestation of vaso-occlusive pain, the sociocultural factors affecting pain assessment, and the concerns regarding addiction and pseudo-addiction. Addressing these barriers will allow people with SCD to have their pain managed more effectively, improve their quality of life and potentially reduce A&E attendances and admissions to hospital.