Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure Protocols To Rapidly Induce Altitude Acclimatization In The Sof Operator

Description

Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure Protocols To Rapidly Induce Altitude Acclimatization In The Sof Operator
Delmonaco BL, Andrews J, May A 8(3). 61
Publication Type: Journal Article

Abstract:
In August 2007 a three-man Special Operations Forces (SOF) Team attempted a rapid ascent of Mt Rainier after a five-day intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE) protocol in a Colorado Exercise Room. The following article discusses the process used by the team to select the five-day IHE protocol as well as the science upon which IHE protocols for altitude acclimatization is based. The experiences of the team as they attempted to summit Mt Rainier at greater than 14,000 feet are summarized with a focus on acute mountain sickness (AMS) and its possible prevention with IHE. The subject of rapid acclimatization to prevent AMS is important to the SOF community in order to quickly operate at high altitudes without succumbing to AMS or being forced to a lower altitude. Although medical literature is thinly populated with rigorous studies of IHE to prevent AMS, recent good studies, especially from Dr. Stephen Muza at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), validate some IHE protocols. This research is reviewed in the following article to help determine an appropriate IHE protocol for the SOF community.

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