The effect of high altitude commercial air travel on oxygen saturation
Anaesthesia 2005 60:5 p. 458
Air travel has increased steadily over the last decade, and its effect on the health of passengers has been the subject of much debate. There is a paucity of evidence on the effects of air travel on oxygen saturation in general populations. The peripheral oxygen saturation and pulse rate of 84 passengers, aged 1-78 years, were measured by pulse oximetry at ground level and altitude during air travel. There was a statistically significant reduction in oxygen saturation in all passengers traveling long haul and short haul flights (p < 0.05). The mean [range] (SD) SpO2 for all flights at ground level was 97% [93-100] (1.33) and at cruising altitude 93% [85-98] (2.33). Fifty-four per cent of passengers had SpO2 values of 94% or less at cruising altitude. This is a value which may prompt physicians to administer supplemental oxygen in hospital patients.
I'm Dr. Joshua Schwimmer, a nephrologist and internal medicine physician in New York City. • Kidney Notes was the first active nephrology blog. (Trivia: Kidney Notes is so old that the National Library of Medicine still uses it as an example of how to formally cite blogs.) • Professionally, you can find me at Kidney.nyc. • Kidney Notes is for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult qualified health care professionals. See disclaimer.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Low Oxygen Levels in Airplane Passengers
Over half of airline passengers in this study had oxygen saturation levels of less than 94%, a level which may prompt the administration of supplemental oxygen in hospitalized patients.