Correlations between altitude and changes of blood oxygen saturation
SHI Wei
SU Xun
SU Nan
LV Xiaojiao
Abstract：Objective To observe the patterns of change of saturation of blood oxygen (SpO2) at different altitude, and provide reference for medical rescue in a high-altitude environment. Methods Thirty-nine healthcare providers from Air Force General Hospital who took part in military exercises were recruited in this study. SpO2 of these subjects was detected aboard a Y-9 transport aircraft at different altitude: at the ground level, 4500, 6000 and 7500m above sea level. Results SpO2 decreased in a high-altitude environment compared with the ground level, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Along with the increase of altitude, SpO2 continued to decline and the difference was also of statistical significance (P<0.05). During takeoff, SpO2 of the subjects was 95.74±1.39 (P>0.05) and the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion Aircraft has no significant effect on SpO2 of a human body during takeoff. SpO2 tends to decrease with the increase of altitude.
Keywords：altitudehypoxiaoxygen saturationoximetry
Publication Date：2017-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：2( 174-175 )