EFFECTS OF SIMULATED GENERAL AVIATION ALTITUDES HYPOXIA ON SMOKERS AND NONSMOKERS

This study evaluated physiological and cognitive performance of smokers and nonsmokers during sessions of mild hypoxia. Nine male smokers and 9 nonsmokers performed the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) during separate 2-hr. sessions while breathing oxygen mixtures that simulated sea level, 5,000 ft., 8,000 ft., and 12,500 ft. altitude conditions. Results showed that four physiological measures: transcutaneous partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide (PtcO2 and PtcCO2), heart rate (HR), and oxyhemoglobin saturation (SaO2), demonstrated significant trends across the simulated altitude conditions and for some measures, between groups. Significant effects were found for MATB monitoring task measures. Smoking group and group by altitude interaction effects were also found for the monitoring task measures. Significant smoking group differences were found in tracking performance. Results of the physiological measures confirmed the study's targeted levels of hypoxia. Smokers exhibited elevated HR and lower PtcCO2 values compared with nonsmokers. Elevated HR is consistent with nicotine effects. Reduced PtcCO2 values may indicate greater hyperventilation among the smokers. Group differences in MATB performance involved tasks that were adjacent to the attention demanding fuel management task for which performance results were the same. Consistent with smoking research and studies of combined lowered oxygen tension and carbon monoxide, smokers may have experienced a reduction of peripheral vision and their ability to visually monitor several tasks simultaneously. The smoker group exhibited higher error rates and false alarms for the peripherally-located monitoring tasks, and showed significantly poorer tracking task performance, compared to the nonsmoker group.

• Record URL:
  http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/1990s/media/am97-07.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/57555
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Office of Aerospace Medicine, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Nesthus, T E
  • Garner, R P
  • Mills, S H
  • Wise, Randall A
• Publication Date: 1997-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 63 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Altitude; Aviation safety; Carbon dioxide; Cognitive impairment; General aviation; Heart rate; Human error; Human subject testing; Hypoxia; Oxygen; Peripheral vision; Physiological aspects; Simulation; Smoking
• Uncontrolled Terms: Oxyhemoglobin saturation
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00932803
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/AM-97/7
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 7 2002 12:00AM