@article{ref1,
title="Oximetry fails to predict acute mountain sickness or summit success during a rapid ascent to 5640 meters",
journal="Wilderness and environmental medicine",
year="2012",
author="Wagner, Dale R. and Knott, Jonathan R. and Fry, Jack P.",
volume="23",
number="2",
pages="114-121",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether arterial oxygen saturation (Spo(2)) and heart rate (HR), as measured by a finger pulse oximeter on rapid arrival to 4260 m, could be predictive of acute mountain sickness (AMS) or summit success on a climb to 5640 m. METHODS: Climbers (35.0 ± 10.1 years; 51 men, 5 women) were transported from 2650 m to the Piedra Grande hut at 4260 m on Pico de Orizaba within 2 hours. After a median time of 10 hours at the hut, they climbed toward the summit (5640 m) and returned, with a median trip time of 14 hours. The Lake Louise Self-Assessment Scale (LLSS) for AMS, HR, and Spo(2) were collected on arrival at the hut and repeated immediately before and after the climbers' summit attempts. RESULTS: Average Spo(2) for all participants at 4260 m before their departure for the summit was 84.4% ± 3.7%. Thirty-seven of the 56 participants reached the summit, and 59% of all climbers met the criteria for AMS during the ascent. The Spo(2) was not significantly different between those who experienced AMS and those who did not (P = .82); neither was there a difference in Spo(2) between summiteers and nonsummiteers (P = .44). Climbers' HR just before the summit attempt was not related to AMS but was significantly lower for summiteers vs nonsummiteers (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: The Spo(2) does not appear to be predictive of AMS or summit success during rapid ascents.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1080-6032",
doi="10.1016/j.wem.2012.02.015",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2012.02.015"
}