Exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia is unaffected by intense physical training: a case report.

Exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia (EIAH) occurs in some healthy humans at sea-level, whereby the most aerobically trained individuals develop the most severe hypoxemia. A female competitive runner completed 2 maximal exercise tests. Maximal oxygen consumption increased by 15% between testing days, but the degree of hypoxemia remained similar (PaO2, SaO2; 82 and 80 mm Hg; 93.8% and 92.8%; first and second test, respectively). Our case indicates that EIAH does not necessarily worsen with aerobic training.