hypoxia inhalation test

hypoxia inhalation test

An assessment of a person's ability to tolerate air travel (in which the oxygen concentration in the cabin at cruising altitude is reduced relative to that at sealevel).

Patient care

The prospective flier is exposed to an ambient oxygen saturation of 15% (normal = 21%) for a minimum of 15 min while undergoing electrocardiographic monitoring and continuous pulse oximetry. The test is imperfect but can provide some information about the supplemental oxygen needs of special patients, such as those with chronic obstructive lung disease, during commercial air travel.