title: Evaluating hypoxia during air travel in healthy infants.
abstract: Up to a third of ex-preterm infants flying near term exhibit pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) of less than 85% during air travel. A hypoxia challenge test (HCT) is recommended to evaluate the requirement for in-flight supplemental O2. The validity of the HCT in healthy, term infants has not been reported. This study aimed to characterise the in-flight hypoxia response and the accuracy of the HCT to predict this response in healthy, term infants in the first year of life. Infants (n=24: (15 male)) underwent a HCT prior to commercial air travel during which parents monitored SpO2. Thirty-two flights were undertaken with six infants completing multiple flights. The median in-flight SpO2 nadir was 87% and significantly lower than the HCT SpO2 nadir (92%: p<0.001). Infants on seven flights recorded SpO2<85% with one infant recording a HCT with a SpO2 less than 85%. There was marked variability in the in-flight SpO2 in the six infants who undertook multiple flights, and for three of these infants, the SpO2 nadir was both above and below 85%. We report that in healthy term infants an in-flight SpO2 below 85% is common and can vary considerably between flights and that the HCT poorly predicts the risk of in-flight hypoxia (SpO2<85%). As it is common for healthy term infants to have SpO2 less than 85% during air travel further research is needed to clarify whether this is an appropriate cut-off in this age group.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Western Australia, , Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Mansi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shackleton
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verheggen
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Graham L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D064870:Air Travel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Paediatric Lung Disaese