Contributions of Hypoxia-Awareness Training to the Familiarization of Personal Symptoms for Occupational Safety in the Flight Environment

Chiang, Kwo-Tsao; Tu, Min-Yu; Cheng, Chao-Chien; Chen, Hsin-Hui; Huang, Wun-Wei; Chiu, Yu‐Lung; Wang, Yunyi; Lai, Chung‐Yu

doi:10.3390/ijerph18062904

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…Previous researches have demonstrated that aircrews of fixed-wing airframes detected ongoing in-flight hypoxia incidents based on the memory of personal hypoxia symptoms and sensations inside the chamber flights [3,4,15,24,25]. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, there are still no studies to investigate the consistent relationship between the altitude hypoxia training and the in-flight hypoxia events for helicopter aircrews.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Altitude Hypoxia Training and In-Flight Hypoxia Events among the Helicopter Aircrews

Chiang

Chu

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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All aircrews are required to undertake the altitude hypoxia training and be familiarized with the hypobaric effect on their physiological regulation. Due to the characteristics of the helicopter aircrafts, few researches have reported in-flight hypoxia events among the helicopter aircrews. The main goal of this study was designed to compare the hypoxia symptoms of helicopter aircrews between the altitude hypoxia training and during flight. We developed a questionnaire to collect the details of chamber flights and in-flight hypoxia events in 2019. All data were managed by the SPSS software and two-tailed 0.05 alpha level was considered as a significant level. Of the 213 study participants, there were eight (3.8%) cases that experienced hypoxia symptoms during the flight. The top five symptoms that appeared both in the last and current altitude hypoxia trainings were visual impairment (20.7%), difficulty concentrating (12.7%), tiredness (12.2%), cognitive impairment (8.0%), and air hunger (5.2%). Meanwhile, the frequency of those symptoms above was not significantly different from the last or current training compared with those in-flight hypoxia events. The survey unveiled a series of consistency correlations of hypoxia symptoms between the chamber flights and in-flight environment for the helicopter aircrew group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Altitude Hypoxia Training and In-Flight Hypoxia Events among the Helicopter Aircrews

Chiang

Chu

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…In addition, one of the fundamental objectives of physiological training is to promote the recognition of symptoms associated with hypoxia (hot flashes, paresthesia, dizziness, cognitive deficits, and headache) that may appear in real flight conditions due to hypoxic events (for example, an abrupt depressurization) and, thus, decrease accidents. In addition, during the physiological training test in hypoxia, the presence of these symptoms constitutes the primary alert for the evaluating personnel to administer supplemental oxygen [ 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Igor Pro 8.01 Procedure to Analyze Pulse Oximetry during Acute Hypoxia Test in Aircrews

Alvear-Catalán

Montiglio

Perales

et al. 2023

Sensors

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The recognition of hypoxia symptoms is a critical part of physiological training in military aviation. Acute exposure protocols have been designed in hypobaric chambers to train aircrews to recognize hypoxia and quickly take corrective actions. The goal of the acute hypoxia test is to know the time of useful consciousness and the minimal arterial oxygen saturation tolerated. Currently, there is no computer system specifically designed to analyze the physiological variables obtained during the test. This paper reports the development and analytical capabilities of a computational tool specially designed for these purposes. The procedure was designed using the Igor Pro 8.01 language, which processes oxygen saturation and heart rate signals. To accomplish this, three functional boards are displayed. The first allows the loading and processing of the data. The second generates graphs that allow for a rapid visual examination to determine the validity of individual records and calculate slopes on selected segments of the recorded signal. Finally, the third can apply filters to generate data groups for analysis. In addition, this tool makes it possible to propose new study variables that are derived from the raw signals and can be applied simultaneously to large data sets. The program can generate graphs accompanied by basic statistical parameters and heat maps that facilitate data visualization. Moreover, there is a possibility of adding other signals during the test, such as the oxygenation level in vital organs, electrocardiogram, or electroencephalogram, which illustrates the test’s excellent potential for application in aerospace medicine and for helping us develop a better understanding of complex physiological phenomena.

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Personal Hypoxia Symptoms Vary Widely Within Individuals

Cox,

McHail,

Blacker

2024

aerosp med hum perform

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INTRODUCTION: Exposure to high ambient altitudes above 10,000 ft (3048 m) over sea level during aviation can present the risk of hypobaric hypoxia. Hypoxia can impair sensory and cognitive functions, degrading performance and leading to mishaps. Military aircrew undergo regular hypoxia familiarization training to recognize their symptoms and understand the consequences of hypoxia. However, over the years, aviators have come to believe that individuals have a “personal hypoxia signature.” The idea is that intraindividual variability in symptom experience during repeated exposure is low. In other words, individuals will experience the same symptoms during hypoxia from day to day, year to year.METHODS: We critically reviewed the existing literature on this hypothesis. Most studies that claim to support the notion of a signature only examine group-level data, which do not inform individual-level consistency. Other studies use inappropriate statistical methods, while still others do not control for accuracy of recall over the period of years. To combat these shortcomings, we present a dataset of 91 individuals who completed nearly identical mask-off, normobaric hypoxia exposures days apart.RESULTS: We found that for every symptom on the Hypoxia Symptom Questionnaire, at least half of the subjects reported the symptom inconsistently across repeated exposure. This means that, at best, 50% of subjects did not report the same symptom across exposures.DISCUSSION: These data provide compelling evidence against the existence of hypoxia signatures. We urge that hypoxia familiarization training incorporate these findings and encourage individuals to expect a wide range of hypoxia symptoms upon repeated exposure.Cox BD, McHail DG, Blacker KJ. Personal hypoxia symptoms vary widely within individuals. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(1):54–58.

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Contributions of Hypoxia-Awareness Training to the Familiarization of Personal Symptoms for Occupational Safety in the Flight Environment

Cited by 4 publications

References 9 publications

Analysis of Altitude Hypoxia Training and In-Flight Hypoxia Events among the Helicopter Aircrews

Analysis of Altitude Hypoxia Training and In-Flight Hypoxia Events among the Helicopter Aircrews

An Igor Pro 8.01 Procedure to Analyze Pulse Oximetry during Acute Hypoxia Test in Aircrews

Personal Hypoxia Symptoms Vary Widely Within Individuals

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