Hypoxia (Flight Physiology)

Hypoxia and Flight Physiology

What is Hypoxia?

Hypoxia is a condition that is caused by a lack of oxygen. It is a common discussion in flight physiology, and occurs when people reach a high altitude without adequate oxygen supplementation. As people fly to higher altitudes, they can get altitude sickness. That can lead to pulmonary edema and high altitude cerebral edema. These can be fatal, but not everyone who develops hypoxia will die from it. The important thing to do when hypoxia occurs is to get to a lower altitude or get supplemental oxygen quickly, in order to mitigate the problematic and dangerous effects of a lack of oxygen. It is not just flight that can cause hypoxia to occur. Climbing to very high altitudes (i.e. Mount Everest) can also cause a lack of oxygen, as can certain medical conditions. The focus of this paper, however, is...
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