Recollection of hypoxia symptoms between training events

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Medicine
• Physiology
• Human Factors

Background:

• Mask-off hypoxia training in hypobaric environments simulates in-flight hypoxia.
• Aircrew receive initial and recurrent training on hypoxia symptom recognition and response.
• Hypoxia acutely impairs cognitive and psychomotor performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the correlation between symptoms experienced during hypoxia training and their recall five years later.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 18 hypoxia symptoms and severity was administered to 1123 aircrew.
• Surveys were completed before and after refresher hypoxia training.
• Training occurred at 10 U.S. Air Force Aerospace Physiology Training Units.

Main Results:

• The most frequent symptoms reported were lightheaded/dizzy, dizziness, mental confusion, visual impairment, and tingling.
• "Lightheaded/dizzy" was the most frequently reported symptom (67.2% previous, 72.3% current training).
• This symptom remained consistently prevalent across all severity levels and training recall periods.

Conclusions:

• Consistent recall of hypoxia symptoms after five years supports the efficacy of hypoxia training.
• Hypoxia training effectively establishes recognized performance decrements relevant to flight.
• The training method aids in preparing aircrew for potential in-flight hypoxia events.