Deussing Eric C, Artino Anthony R, Folga Richard V
From the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814-4712, USA.
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2011 Aug;82(8):775-81. doi: 10.3357/asem.2941.2011.
Hypoxia continues to be a significant threat in military aviation. In an attempt to counter the hypoxia threat, military jet aviators receive periodic training using a reduced oxygen breathing device (ROBD). This study explored the characteristics of in-flight hypoxia events among tactical jet aviators and compared reported symptoms to those experienced during ROBD training.
An anonymous survey was administered to naval aviators prior to aviation physiology training. The survey queried them about previous in-flight hypoxia encounters and the symptoms they experienced. These data were then compared to symptom data from a previous ROBD training survey using Chi-square analyses.
Of the 566 aviators who completed the survey, 112 (20%) reported experiencing hypoxia symptoms in a tactical jet aircraft and 64 aviators (57%) indicated they were not wearing the required oxygen mask when the incident first occurred. The results also revealed only 21% of hypoxia events were reported in aviation hazard reports and the three most commonly recorded in-flight hypoxia symptoms were tingling (54%), difficulty concentrating (32%), and dizziness (30%). Chi-square analyses revealed statistically significant differences in frequency of reporting between 5 of 16 symptoms encountered in flight compared to ROBD training.
The present investigation is the first survey-based study of hypoxia events in U.S. naval aviation. The study reveals in-flight, mask-on hypoxia has a similar overall reported symptom profile to ROBD training. Further, results suggest increased oxygen-mask compliance among these aviators may be necessary to effectively combat in-flight hypoxia.
缺氧仍然是军事航空领域的重大威胁。为应对缺氧威胁，军事喷气式飞机飞行员使用低氧呼吸装置（ROBD）接受定期训练。本研究探讨了战术喷气式飞机飞行员飞行中缺氧事件的特征，并将报告的症状与ROBD训练期间经历的症状进行了比较。
在航空生理学训练前，对海军飞行员进行了一项匿名调查。该调查询问了他们以前飞行中遇到的缺氧情况以及他们经历的症状。然后使用卡方分析将这些数据与之前ROBD训练调查的症状数据进行比较。
在完成调查的566名飞行员中，112名（20%）报告在战术喷气式飞机上经历过缺氧症状，64名飞行员（57%）表示事件首次发生时他们未佩戴所需的氧气面罩。结果还显示，只有21%的缺氧事件在航空危险报告中被报告，飞行中最常记录的三种缺氧症状是刺痛（54%）、注意力不集中（32%）和头晕（30%）。卡方分析显示，与ROBD训练相比，飞行中遇到的16种症状中有5种在报告频率上存在统计学显著差异。
本研究是美国海军航空领域首次基于调查的缺氧事件研究。该研究表明，飞行中佩戴面罩的缺氧情况与ROBD训练的总体报告症状相似。此外，结果表明，这些飞行员提高氧气面罩的佩戴依从性可能是有效对抗飞行中缺氧的必要条件。
