PHYSIOLOGICAL AREA   

Medicina dello Sport 2020 September;73(3):373-82

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.20.03737-0

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Relationship among oxygen saturation, heart rate, and acute mountain sickness in mountaineering at very high altitudes for five days

Lun LI ¹, Fan DONG ¹, Yong T. WANG ² ✉

¹ China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China; ² College of Nursing and Health Sciences, The University of Texas, Tyler, TX, USA

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to measure the oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rate (HR), and Lake Louise Acute Mountain Sickness Score of mountaineers during a five-day mountaineering expedition at very high altitude (3794-5005 m above sea level). The relationship among SpO2, HR, and acute mountain sickness (AMS) was determined to screen for AMS as early as possible and to reduce the risk of climbers while mountaineering.
METHODS: In this study, 26 healthy mountaineers were selected to test their SpO2 and HR with a portable finger clip during mountaineering and to distinguish whether the mountaineers suffer from AMS by using the score of the Lake Louis questionnaire. Data were processed by an independent t-test.
RESULTS: After entering the base camp, data showed no correlation between HR and AMS, but a significant correlation between SpO2 and AMS.
CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that daily evaluation of SpO2 during mountaineering at 4360 m could help identify AMS. In particular, a significant correlation was found between SpO2 and AMS on the first night and the second morning of the expedition.

KEY WORDS: Heart rate; Altitude sickness; Mountaineering