Altitude Physiology

Question 1

Who created the first altitude chamber

Answer 1

Paul Bert

Question 2

What are come common signs of hypoxia that are subjective

Answer 2

Air hunger, apprehension, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, vision issues, hot and cold flashes, numbness, tinging, denial

Question 3

Signs of hypoxia that are visual

Answer 3

Hyperventilation, confusion, poor judgement, unconsciousness, slouching

Question 4

What army regulation speaks of unpressurized aircraft and oxygen use

Answer 4

AR 95-1 para 8-6

Question 5

On flights above 10,000 ft for more then how long will you need oxygen

Answer 5

One hour

Question 6

On flight for longer then 30 min at how many feet will you need oxygen

Answer 6

12000

Question 7

On flights at 14000 feet when do you need to have oxygen

Answer 7

At all times

Question 8

For flights over 18000 ft what are the protocols

Answer 8

Pretreatment with oxygen for no less then 30 min then oxygen through the whole flight

Question 9

What are the four stages of hypoxia

Answer 9

Indifferent, compensatory, disturbance, critical

Question 10

When does the indifferent stage of hypoxia normally start and look like

Answer 10

SPO2 Saturation 98-90% Decreased night vision @ 4000 feet Loss of acuity Loss of color perception Altitudes Sea level - 10,000

Question 11

When does the compensatory stage of hypoxia start and look like

Answer 11

Altitudes 10,000-15,00 SPO2 89-80% Imparted efficiency drowsiness, poor judgment decreased coordination

Question 12

Disturbance stage

Answer 12

Altitude 15000-20000 Spo2 79-70% Memory issues, impaired judgments, poor judgment, drunk, blurred vision, slurred speech, bad handwriting

Question 13

Critical stage

Answer 13

Altitudes 20000 ft up 69-60 spo2 Loss of consciousness, convulsions, death brain cell death

Question 14

What are some factors that effect hypoxia

Answer 14

Altitude, ascent rate, temperature, activity level, physical fitness, self imposed stressors

Question 15

At 43K+ feet what is your time for useful consciousness

Answer 15

9-12 seconds

Question 16

40k feet what is the time of useful consciousness

Answer 16

15-20

Question 17

35 k feet what is the useful time of consciousness

Answer 17

30-60 seconds

Question 18

At 30k feet what is the useful time of consciousness

Answer 18

1-2 min

Question 19

At 28k feet what’s the useful time of consciousness

Answer 19

2.5-3

Question 20

At 25 k feet what’s the useful time of consciousness

Answer 20

3-5 min

Question 21

At 22 k feet what’s the useful time of consciousness

Answer 21

8-10 min

Question 22

At 18k feet what’s the useful time of consciousness

Answer 22

20-30min

Question 23

What does hyperventilation lead to

Answer 23

Loss of CO2 in the blood leading to respiratory alkalosis

Question 24

Causes of respiratory alkalosis

Answer 24

Emotional, positive pressure breathing, hypoxia

Question 25

Symptoms of hyperventilation

Answer 25

Tingling, muscle spasms, hot and cold sensations, visual impairment, dizziness, unconscious

Question 26

When do muscle spasms occurs

Answer 26

Hyperventilation

Question 27

When does cyanosis occurs

Answer 27

Hypoxia

Question 28

What does decreased CO2 in the blood due to the blood flow in the brain

Answer 28

Reduces

Question 29

What are the two types of gas dysbarism

Answer 29

Trapped gas and evolved gas

Question 30

Boyles law

Answer 30

Volume of gas varies inversely with its pressure at a constant temp

Question 31

How can you avoid effects of boyles law

Answer 31

Don't chew gum, drink water, drink soda, don't eat junk food, off gas is necessary before flying

Question 32

What is barodontalgia

Answer 32

Tooth pain due to change in barometric pressure, normally isolated to one tooth, caused by air trapping, refer to dental if you have this issue

Question 33

When do sinus blocks most commonly occur

Answer 33

Decent

Question 34

What is evolved gas dysbarism

Answer 34

Occurs due to the reduction in atmospheric pressure

Question 35

What does Henry's law say

Answer 35

Amount of gas dissolved in a solution varies directly with the partial pressure of gas over the solution

Question 36

What is type one decompression sickness

Answer 36

- Bends - Skin manifestations(Creeps)

Question 37

What is type two decompression sickness

Answer 37

Chokes, CNS issues

Question 38

Issues with the CNS and N2 bubbles shows like

Answer 38

dull-to-severe headache, partial paralysis, the inability to hear or speak, and the loss of orientation - Occurs when N2 gets trapped in the brain or against the spinal cord

Question 39

Predisposing factors to decompression sickness

Answer 39

Altitude, ascent rate, fat content, age, exercise, duration of exposure

Question 40

30 min of pre breathing oxygen gets rid of how much nitrogen

Answer 40

30% of nitrogen in your body

Question 41

How long should you wait before flying after diving and what army regulation states this regulation

Answer 41

24 hours AR 40-8

Question 42

What is the treatment for decompression sickness

Answer 42

100% O2, descent, hyperbaric chamber at 3 ATM

Question 43

Question: Hyperventilation _______ carbon dioxide levels in the blood, and the blood becomes more_________. This can lead to a ______ in blood flow and oxygen to the brain?

Answer 43

Answer: 1. lowers 2. alkaline 3. reduced or decreased. Ref: TC 3-04.93, 2-91.