Kramer M R, Godfrey S
Institute of Pulmonology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
Isr J Med Sci. 1996 Jul;32 Suppl:S20-3.
Patients with advanced chronic obstructive lung disease often require oxygen supplementation, which has been shown to increase survival but requires a device such as an oxygen tank and tubing. The inspired partial pressure of oxygen depends on barometric pressure, which is related directly to altitude. At the Dead Sea, located 402 m below sea level, the barometric pressure reaches 800 mm Hg, thus resulting in high inspired oxygen levels. We have taken this topographic advantage to study oxygen-dependent patients with advanced lung disease. We found significant increases in arterial oxygen tension, exercise capacity, sleep oxygen saturation, and an improvement in quality of life while staying at the Dead Sea. This was found during both a short stay (1 week) as well as a longer stay (3 weeks). The improvement in exercise capacity persisted 2-3 weeks after leaving the area. We conclude that the low altitude at the Dead Sea can be of benefit to patients with advanced lung disease who are hypoxemic. The higher the altitude of the normal residence of the patient, the greater is the expected benefit of a sojourn at the Dead Sea.
晚期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者常需补充氧气，补充氧气已被证明可提高生存率，但需要诸如氧气罐和输氧管之类的设备。吸入氧分压取决于大气压力，而大气压力与海拔高度直接相关。在低于海平面402米的死海，大气压力达到800毫米汞柱，从而导致较高的吸入氧水平。我们利用这一地形优势来研究依赖氧气的晚期肺病患者。我们发现，待在死海期间，动脉血氧张力、运动能力、睡眠时的血氧饱和度均显著提高，生活质量也有所改善。这一现象在短期停留（1周）和长期停留（3周）期间均有发现。离开该地区后，运动能力的改善持续了2至3周。我们得出结论，死海的低海拔对低氧血症的晚期肺病患者有益。患者正常居住地的海拔越高，在死海逗留预期获得的益处就越大。
