Sleep apnea patients may need oxygen during air travel
A new small study finds that about half of people with obstructive sleep apnea may need supplemental oxygen during a commercial airline flight, even if they are otherwise healthy. Australian researchers from the Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney undertook this study because of the rising rate of obesity, which is increasing the number of people with obstructive sleep apnea.
In this study there were 2 groups of participants who underwent an airline cabin simulation while their blood-oxygen saturation levels were measured. One group consisted of 22 patients with severe sleep apnea but no history of lung disease, and the other group was made up of 10 normal volunteers. During the simulation of commercial airline travel, both groups experienced a significant drop in oxygen saturation from normal, but the sleep apnea patients had a significantly lower oxygen saturation at all simulated heights. In fact, 11 of the 22 patients experienced a drop low enough to warrant the use of supplemental oxygen.
According to one of the researchers Leigh Seccombe, M.Sc., in MedPage Today, ”It’s too early to say what the clinical implications of the findings are. Many people fly, many people get hypoxic, but not many have adverse events.” One implication might be that the airlines may need to allow people with obstructive sleep apnea to use supplemental oxygen at a physician’s request, as they now do for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Via MedPage Today May 2008
Seccombe LM, et al “Effects of commercial flight simulation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea” Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008; 177: A220.
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What kind of symptoms would indicate low oxygen levels?
A wide range of symptoms can occur with low oxygen levels in the blood. In general, the most common symptoms include: fatigue, decreased attention, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, increased or irregular pulse, chest pain or any other cardiac symptoms if there is significant heart disease present. Symptoms of low oxygen blood levels tend to worsen with exertion, such as getting up to go to the bathroom. The severity can range from mild to severe and even life-threatening.