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Effects of Aircraft Cabin Altitude on Passenger Comfort and Discomfort

NCT00326703 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 500

Last updated 2006-10-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Commercial aircraft passengers are exposed to atmospheric pressures ranging from the pressure found at ground level to that encountered in the external environment at 8,000 feet. There is some evidence in the medical literature that symptoms of acute mountain sickness can result from ascent to altitudes of 6,300 to 10,000 feet by unacclimated persons during the first few days following ascent, probably due to the hypoxia that results from breathing air at the reduced ambient pressures at altitude. The logical hypothesis that follows is that exposure to 8,000 feet could cause hypoxia sufficient to adversely affect the comfort and well being of some commercial aircraft passengers on prolonged flights. There is insufficient data in the literature to validate this hypothesis.

Exercise at sea level and at altitude reduces arterial oxygen levels. The logical hypothesis that follows is that the combination of moderate exercise and exposure to altitude could cause hypoxia sufficiently severe to adversely affect the comfort and well being of some people and that the combined effect of exercise and altitude on comfort and well being is greater than the effect of exercise or altitude alone. Again, there is insufficient evidence in the literature to substantiate this possibility.

The purpose of this investigation is to test these hypotheses.

Conditions

  • Acute Mountain Sickness

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Hypobaric hypoxia

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • The Boeing Company

    lead INDUSTRY

Principal Investigators

  • James M Muhm, MD, MPH · The Boeing Company

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
21 Years
Max Age
75 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2002-10-31
Completion
2003-04-30

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00326703 on ClinicalTrials.gov