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Posted for "George Braly" <gwbraly@gami.com>:
Values in the
low 80's would get you critical care in an ER, and would get you into
an
ER if flying that way for long.<<
Well... not really. I'm not a doctor. But this is my understanding of
the situation.
While it is true that the onset of SO2 sats below 90 or so in a patient
with previously normal SO2 values will get everybody's attention in a
hospital setting - - that is because it means that something "bad" is
going on with the patient that needs to be promptly investigated to
figure out what it is.
OTOH, in an airplane at 22000 feet, if your O2 sat is 82, it means, with
a high degree of certainty, that you don't have enough O2 going into
your system. In other words, the low SO2 is diagnostic of an issue that
needs to be resolved, but doesn't mean you are sick or need to be in
the ER.
With other pilots on board, I have flown for hours and hours with SO2s
of 82 to 85 and all I got for the experience is a good case of being
very "tired" at the end of the flight.
That does not mean it is "OK" to do that. It certainly is to be
avoided.
But it doesn't send one to the ER.
It is certainly true that being adequately on O2 with SO2s up in the 90+
range will result in a pilot or pax who arrives at the destination
feeling much much better than if the SO2 is lower than that range.
Using a finger SO2 instrument is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
About a week ago, I observed a pilot at 24000 feet with his SO2 in the
mid nineties and his heart rate in the low 70s - - and he was using a MH
pulse system.
Regards, George
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