Category Archives: Technology

High Altitude Research has inspired a lot of fascinating innovation from vital sign tracking to simulation

High Altitude, Medicine, Technology

“Home Remedy” by Ted Katauskas

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Colorado Summit Magazine Summer-Fall 2016

In the Summer/Fall 2016 issue of Colorado Summit there is an interesting article entitled “Home Remedy” by Ted Katauskas.  A company, called Altitude Control Technologies, in Denver can install an air separator that continuously controls the amount of oxygen in a room based on barometric pressure and people entering and exiting that room.  So far, these devices have been used commercially and are now beginning to be used in high-priced dream homes.  There are medical implications of this technology for possible treatment of high altitude illnesses such as hypoxia or HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema).  For children, the implications would be adequate perfusion of oxygen to the organs to carry out life’s functions and promote healthy growth.  Imagine being able to treat hypoxia in the home by simply the push of a button.  Currently, this technology is very expensive.  It does beg the question, could an air separator be subsidized by insurance, or added into the construction of a new home?  Certainly, this technology holds promise for possible future treatment. 

Submitted by Joe Brath, NP Student from Georgetown University rotating Summer 2016

Health, High Altitude, Medicine, Technology

Oxygen Conditioning: As Easy As Air Conditioning

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Imagine increasing the amount of oxygen in a room with equipment no more complex than an air conditioner. This is the future of high altitude living. This is already happening in some academic and industrial sites at high altitude, such as mines and research telescopes.   Every one per cent increase in oxygen concentration is like descending 300 feet. An increase of five percent can improve sleep and brain function. This could be important for sensitive populations such as newborns and people in critical jobs where an increase in errors could have catastrophic consequences. British physiologist Joseph Barcroff interviewed residents in 1922 in Cerro de Pasco at 14,210 feet and found decreased cognition he termed “bungling”.  Maybe I should install oxygen conditioners in my office at 9,100 feet!

Information from the Journal of High Altitude Medicine and Biology, Sept 2015. John West

Acclimation, Health, High Altitude, High Altitude Training & Fitness, Medicine, Mountaineering, Technology

Does sleeping on oxygen at high altitude improve athletic performance?

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I have read many scientific studies on athletic performance at altitude. Active high altitude residents are always looking for ways to improve. As we age we experience a loss of speed and endurance, even with regular training. Some of this is inevitable, but how can we know if there is something else affecting our fitness?

I started sleeping on oxygen 9 months ago because of high blood pressure, which was instantly cured. Now I find that my strength and endurance have improved during the last few months. For example, I was rowing 13400 meters per hour with several brief pauses last fall, and now I am at an all-time high of 14100 m per hour with one pause. My running feels better, I’m back up to 6 miles from 4.

There are other factors that could influence this. In 2012-2013 I was on 17 pills including prednisone and had four surgeries for tongue cancer and myasthenia gravis. I was able to continue working out daily although part of that was less intense, such as yoga. I also had rotator cuff surgery. So my current fitness improvement could just be a rebound from overcoming those health conditions.

The only way to know for sure is to do a randomized controlled double blind study of athletes performance on and off nightly oxygen, or study the same athlete with and without oxygen. This is not an immediate effect, so months or years of observation and measurements would be needed.

In the meantime, if you live above 2500 meters/9000 feet and are losing stamina or strength consider having a night time pulse oximetry test to check for hypoxia during sleep.

Acclimation, Child Growth & Development, Health, Medicine, Technology

when to stop using oxygen after an illness

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Several parents returned to the clinic this week with their children on oxygen after respiratory illness. Our protocol has been to discontinue the oxygen when their saturation is above 89 in clinic. Now that many parents have a home pulse oximeter, children are using oxygen for longer periods. Measurements at home may be fine during the day, and the child attends school, then decreases at night so parents continue oxygen. since most oxygen equipment is rented by the month, this is not more expensive. I think it helps the lungs to heal, possibly reducing future problems such as pulmonary hypertension.

New information comes from one of the students rotating here at Ebert Family Clinic: Justin Lockwood, a pediatric resident. He reports that even in Denver some children require oxygen during respiratory illnesses that do not get a diagnoses of asthma or pneumonia.