Question

1. When climbing Everest, climbers generally take 12 days hiking from Lukla, Nepal (altitude 4,593 ft) to Basecamp. What is the change in the SaO2?
2. Climbers generally spend 4-8 weeks at Basecamp getting acclimated. What is the SaO2 at this altitude? Is it within safe limits to be exerting oneself?
3. Once climbers arrive at Camp IV they have very limited time, even with supplemental O2, to remain at this altitude and attempt to summit. What is the SaO2 at this altitude without supplemental O2?
4. What is the PO2 and SaO2 at the Summit?

Answer 1

• At higher altitudes, less oxygen molecules are available per unit of air due to increasing altitude and atmospheric pressure.
• With increasing sea level , the oxygen saturation decreases
• Basecamp is at 4593 ft - effective oxygen % - 17.9%
• Yes. it is within safe limits to be exerting onself. At this level body starts increase in breath rate and heart rate to doubl even while resting, body gets acclimatized to this condition by increasing RBC and capillary number to carry more oxygen. the lungs also increase in size to facilitate the osmosis of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
• Camp 4 at 8000m height. - effective oxygen % - 7.5%
• At higher altitude, Partial pressure of oxygen is also very low