Accession Number:
ADA148045
Title:
Aviation-Related Cardiorespiratory Effects of Blood Donation in Female Pilots
Descriptive Note:
Corporate Author:
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON DC OFFICE OF AVIATION MEDICINE
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
1984-03-01
Pagination or Media Count:
38.0
Abstract:
Ten healthy female pilots, 20-49 years old and weighing more than 110 pounds were tested for tolerances to hypoxia orthostatic stress, and physical work at 1 and 3 d after donating about 450 mL of blood on one occasion, and 6 mL sham control on a second separate occasion. Testing included consecutive 30-min seated exposures to each of four oxygen-nitrogen mixtures equal to air breathing at 6,000, 8,000, 10,000 and 12,400 ft of altitude, 5 min of quiet standing, and seated pedal ergometry graded to produce a heart rate of 140 beats per min. The findings of this study indicated that, if the complete absence of adverse symptoms at ground level, a pilot may return to flying between 1 and 3 d after blood donation with the recommended initial precautions that cabin altitude be limited to 6,000 during flight and Gz stress exceeding the equivalent of short-duration level turns at 30 deg of bank angle be avoided. Until complete restoration of the pilots in-flight physiological tolerances has occurred, the presence of a copilot and on-board availability of supplemental oxygen are also recommended.
Descriptors:
Subject Categories:
- Stress Physiology