What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated the heart rate response to positive pressure breathing during and after rapid decompression from 20,000 to 50,000 feet in a hypobaric chamber while subjects breathed simulated oxygen generation system gas mixtures.
What They Found
In 10 subjects, most showed increased heart rate and reduced heart rate variability immediately after decompression and onset of pressure breathing. Anxiety appeared to have the greatest effect on heart rate changes, while substituting 93% oxygen for 99.5% oxygen produced no consistent heart rate response.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This study focuses on physiological responses to extreme aviation scenarios, specifically rapid decompression and oxygen systems in military aircraft. As such, it has no direct practical implications for the general Canadian patient population.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian relevance.
Study Limitations
The study involved a small number of subjects in a simulated environment, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.