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Transconjunctival oxygen monitoring as a predictor of hypoxemia during helicopter transport

1985; Elsevier BV; Volume: 14; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0196-0644(85)80428-5

1097-6760

Charles Shufflebarger, Dietrich Jehle, Eric Cottington, Marcus L. Martin,

Injury Epidemiology and Prevention

As the use of helicopters for air transport of critically ill patients increases, the availability of monitoring devices for physiological parameters during flight becomes important. It has long been known that arterial P O 2 (Pa O 2 ) decreases during unsupplemented, non-pressurized flight. In this study, the authors examined the use of the transconjunctival oxygen (cjO 2 ) monitor for assessing the adequacy of arterial oxygenation during helicopter flight in four healthy volunteers. Arterial Pa O 2 as measured by conventional blood gas analysis was compared with cjO 2 at ground level, 5,000 feet, and 10,000 feet altitude. Mean Pa O 2 dropped significantly from 93.5 to 81.5 to 58.5 mm Hg, respectively (P 2 also decreased significantly from 63.8 to 52.0 to 34.8 mm Hg, respectively (P 2 was an accurate predictor of Pa O 2 (P 2 and Pa O 2 was linear with a regression coefficient of 1.147. The authors conclude that the transconjunctival O 2 monitor may be useful for monitoring the adequacy of arterial oxygenation during helicopter flight in hemodynamically stable patients. The results of study also support the use of supplemental oxygen in all patients subjected to helicopter transport.