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At very high altitude, 3,500 to 5,500 metres (11,500 to 18,000 ft), maximum SaO 2 falls below 90% as the arterial PO 2 falls below 60mmHg. Extreme hypoxemia may occur during exercise, during sleep, and in the presence of high altitude pulmonary edema or other acute lung conditions. Severe altitude illness occurs most commonly in this range.
The medical problems that are direct consequence of high altitude are caused by the low inspired partial pressure of oxygen, which is caused by the reduced atmospheric pressure, and the constant gas fraction of oxygen in atmospheric air over the range in which humans can survive. [1]
High-altitude flatus expulsion was first described by Joseph Hamel in c. 1820 [2] and occasionally described afterward. [3] A landmark study of this phenomenon was published in 1981 by Paul Auerbach and York Miller.
CMS was first described in 1925 by Carlos Monge Medrano, a Peruvian doctor who specialised in diseases of high altitude. [3] While acute mountain sickness is experienced shortly after ascent to high altitude, chronic mountain sickness may develop only after many years of living at high altitude. In medicine, high altitude is defined as over ...
Atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude while the O 2 fraction remains constant to about 85 km (53 mi), so PO 2 decreases with altitude as well. It is about half of its sea level value at 5,500 m (18,000 ft), the altitude of the Mount Everest base camp , and less than a third at 8,849 m (29,032 ft), the summit of Mount Everest. [ 8 ]
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) has a complex control mechanism that relies on coordinated interaction between muscular contractions and neuronal impulses (nerve signals). [3] Fecal incontinence or constipation occurs when there is a problem with normal bowel functioning. This could be for a variety of reasons.
Gastroparesis (gastro- from Ancient Greek γαστήρ – gaster, "stomach"; and -paresis, πάρεσις – "partial paralysis") is a medical disorder of ineffective neuromuscular contractions (peristalsis) of the stomach, resulting in food and liquid remaining in the stomach for a prolonged period of time.
Respiratory failure is classified as either Type 1 or Type 2, based on whether there is a high carbon dioxide level, and can be acute or chronic. In clinical trials, the definition of respiratory failure usually includes increased respiratory rate , abnormal blood gases (hypoxemia, hypercapnia, or both), and evidence of increased work of breathing.