Comparative Study of Oxygen and Pressure Support Therapy on Plateau Hypoxia at an Altitude of 3992 Meters / 中国呼吸与危重监护杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare the effects of oxygen therapy and local pressurization in alleviating plateau hypoxia at high altitude.Methods Forty-five healthy male soldiers were investigated at an altitude of 3992 meters.The subjects were randomly divided into three groups, ie.an oxygen inhalation group, a single-soldier oxygen increasing respirator (SOIR) group and a BiPAP group.The oxygen inhalation group was treated with oxygen inhalation via nasal catheter at 2 L/min.SOIR was used to assist breath in the SOIR group.The BiPAP group were treated with bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation, with IPAP of 10 cm H20 and EPAP of 4 cm H2O.PaO2、PaCO2、SpO2 and heart rate were measured before and 30 minutes after the treatment.Results There were continuous increase of PaO2 from (53.30±4.88) mm Hg to (58.58±5.05) mm Hg and (54.43±3.01) mm Hg to (91.36±10.99) mm Hg after BiPAP ventilation and oxygen inhalation, respectively (both P < 0.01).However, the PaO2、of the SOIR group was decreased from (56.00±5.75) mm Hg to (50.82±5.40) mm Hg (P < 0.05).In the other hand, the PaCO2、 was increased from (30.41±1.51) mm Hg to (32.5±2.98) mm Hg in the oxygen inhalation group (P< 0.05), declined from (28.74±2.91) mm Hg to (25.82±4.35) mm Hg in the BiPAP group (P < 0.05), and didn't change significantly from (28.65±2.78)mm Hg to (29.75±3.89) nun Hg in the SOIR group (P > 0.05).Conclusions Both BiPAP ventilation and oxygen inhalation can alleviate plateau hypoxia by improving PaO2 at 3992 meter altitude while SOIR has no significant effect.