pulse oximeters and altitude acclimatization

[Chris Jackson]

While acclimatizing I follow the mountaineers maxim, `sleep no higher than 1000 ft above your previous nights camp'. But I'm curious as to whether a pulse oximeter can be used to provide a more accurate estimate of maximum sleeping altitude?

[Anonymous]

Chris,
I suspect you might be able to derive a partial answer by analyzing some of the data provided by a pulse oximeter. I'll also bet you could get a better informed answer to your question if you could pull Dean Fellabaum(an MD) away from his lovefest with Rog and Timothy over in Chaff. Ditto John P (Shannon? also an MD) last sighted in the Ciprofloxacin thread.
My 2 cents: Stick with the 1000' rule of thumb and listen closely to what your body is telling you-it's got a pulse oximeter hard wired into the system. You may well find that you can exceed the 1000' ROT as you gain more experience. Only time will tell.

[John S.]

I have not gotten into mountaineering so have no experience with pulse oximeters for that.

In a brief search online it appears they are used to determine how well someone is acclimatizing to a given altitude. I suspect the outfitters have a lower limit of oxygen saturation that must be maintained before a client is allowed to continue going up the mountain. And if the oxygen saturation is below that level, the client is taken down to a lower camp.

http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/SaO2-table.html

[Author]

Posts