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Abstract:
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A frequent, but often unrecognized, exposure to 'altitude' occurs during commercial airline flight. Cabins of commercial aircraft are pressurized so that, at cruise altitude, the cabin pressure is no lower than the pressure equivalent of 8,000 feet. Reduced partial pressure of oxygen at 8,000 feet induces a level of hypobaric hypoxia generally tolerated by healthy individuals but possibly stressful to those with compromised cardiopulmonary function. Boeing conducted an experiment to determine the effect of cabin pressures equivalent to altitudes up to 8,000 feet on oxygen saturation and discomfort in volunteers selected to represent commercial airline passengers during a simulated 20-hour flight in an altitude chamber. In this paper, we describe the development of statistical methods for the analysis of the data and present the findings of the experiment.
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