O2 sats drop during flights

[Nancy]

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/04/26/bt.oxygen.study/

 

[Ross]

For some reason, this doesn't surprise me any.

 

[tobagotwo]

I see that the article, which is about a drop in blood oxygen during jet travel, points out that people who have health problems should be warned to drink water before flights to avoid dehydration. This is a typical crossing of advice found in many health articles.

Carried to its conclusion, the water theory makes sense. Then, rather than saying people were harmed by a 6% lower oxygen level, the airlines can pretend that they drowned...

Best wishes,

 

[BIGHEARTED]

I just read the article and it makes me wonder. Twice a year I take a 4 hour flight and I always have had moderate to severe chest pains and pressure, especially when we are descending. About a half an hour after we are on the ground it complete goes away. I have BAV and an ascending aortic aneurysm 4.6 cm - I wonder if the low oxygen level is contributing to my discomfort. I actually always thought everyone felt it, like when your ears feel plugged, but my husband and friends say they never feel it. Has anyone else had this kind of pain when flying? BIGHEARTED

 

[gijanet]

This is one of the main reasons Katie's PC does not want her to fly period. Her normal oxygen sat is already 77%! We don't need it to take a dive any lower if we can avoid it. Hugs. J.

 

[Harpoon]

I see that the article, which is about a drop in blood oxygen during jet travel, points out that people who have health problems should be warned to drink water before flights to avoid dehydration. This is a typical crossing of advice found in many health articles.

Carried to its conclusion, the water theory makes sense. Then, rather than saying people were harmed by a 6% lower oxygen level, the airlines can pretend that they drowned...

Best wishes,

""We should be giving people with ill health more advice about things they can do, such as drinking more water when they fly, to avoid problems," researcher Rachel Deyermond told the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper."


Instead of spending the extra cash to put some more oxygen into the pressurized cabin so the saturation level is closer to what it was at ground level when passangers boarded the plane....

I wouldn't be suprized if that had something to do with it. Cabins are pressurized by pumping extra gases into it so that people are kept generally comfortable without having to constantly adjust for changes in pressure as one would experience when going higher into the atmosphere (or deeper, underwater.) Submarine air is generally kept at higher oxygen saturation points because they want the crew to be alert and at their best performance, not suffering from oxygen deprivation related conditions such as what was mentioned in the article.

I'm sure the cockpits are given extra oxygen, the people in there gotta fly the plane. But the passangers already paid for their tickets, doesn't matter what kind of condition they're in by the time they land as long as they don't attribute it to the air quality of the plane while in flight....


Ok, maybe that's a little too cynical... =)

 

[Ross]

This is one of the main reasons Katie's PC does not want her to fly period. Her normal oxygen sat is already 77%! We don't need it to take a dive any lower if we can avoid it. Hugs. J.

That's me walking with 4 LPM cranking! They checked mine the other day when they checked Lyns and with 4 LPM running and me sitting dead still for a while, I managed 96%, but as soon as I started walking----down to 82% when they made me stop.

 

[Nancy]

Not only is the oxygen level lower on flights, but people on oxygen have a terrible time getting ANY airline to provide extra oxygen for them. Of course, most will not let you bring your own oxygen tank onboard, but then you will also be denied oxygen that THEY could provide. And those airlines which do allow you to purchase their own oxygen limit the amount they will give you and charge exhorbitant amounts for it.

It is a frequent topic of conversation on the pulmonary hypertension website, since many of them are on oxygen.

So, if you need oxygen and are planning a trip in an airplane, you should contact the airline and make sure you will be able to get it, and also how much they will charge, and if they will limit your amount.

 

[Ross]

I know when I checked before the Colorado reunion, they would not let me bring mine on board and wanted $100 per flight leg to use theirs. That is plan insane. The disabilities people are trying to get the FAA to get their head out of the shorts and allow carry on compressed gas, not liquid containers.