Hypobaric chamber
A hypobaric chamber, or altitude chamber, is a chamber used during
Procedure
One or more subjects (usually,
While the masks are off, subjects may be asked to do trivial tasks, such as arithmetic and signing their own names. When such tasks start taking excessive lengths of time to be done or are done poorly, it is usually a sign that the "
Use in training
The primary purpose of the altitude chamber is for the subjects to learn what their hypoxia symptoms are. The symptoms of hypoxia are different for each individual, and this training is helpful for aviators to be able to recognize these symptoms during actual flight so as to avoid in-flight oxygen emergencies. Military pilots who fly aircraft at altitudes in excess of 10,000 feet, and civilian pilots who fly unpressurized aircraft above 12,500 feet, must use oxygen equipment. Altitude chamber training is required of
There are many procedures followed during chamber training for aircrew. Usually new aircrew will undergo a familiarization profile, where the chamber ascends to an altitude of 10,000 ft. During the ascent they are instructed on the proper procedure to clear the ears. During ascent, students are asked to yawn and on descent they need to perform the
There are also other profiles, such a hypoxia training profile, where the chamber ascends to an altitude of 25,000 ft. Upon arriving at 25,000 ft, students are removed from their oxygen supply two at a time, for around 2 to 3 minutes. During this time, they will be asked to complete simple tasks such as copying shapes on a piece of paper. They are asked during the time off oxygen how they feel. After being placed back on oxygen, they will understand how their judgement was impaired during the time that they were experiencing hypoxia.
The training goes further with rapid decompression profiles, where the chamber is very rapidly ascended from 8,000 ft to 22,000 ft within 10 to 20 seconds, to simulate the loss of a cabin door. For fighter pilots this is done from an altitude of 25,000 ft to 43,000 ft within 5 seconds which simulates the loss of a fighter aircraft's canopy.
Hypobaric chambers are also finding increasing use as a means of improving athletic performance. Since the human body adapts to extended mild hypoxia by increasing the quantity of red cells in the blood and this raises aerobic performance, athletes sleep in them as part of their training regimen. This has roughly the same effect as training in high altitudes, but the use of hypobaric chambers plays into the controversial issue of enhanced athletic performance. Mika LaVaque-Manty asks in his book, "Are hypobaric chambers, which simulate high-altitude conditions, a natural way to improve your body?"[1] This hints that the hypobaric chambers use can be likened to blood doping and thus be deemed an unfair athletic advantage. This could lead to a ban on hypobaric chambers for athletic training.
Institutions with hypobaric chambers
- terraXcube, Eurac Research, accredited laboratory for environmental testing with large climatic chambers and medical clinic
- Centro de Medicina Aeroespacial de la Fuerza Aerea Colombiana , Aviation medicine, physiological, and hypobaric services
- Royal New Zealand Air Force Aviation Medicine Unit , Aviation medicine training and hypobaric services
- U.S. Army Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, 33 years experience with its Hypobaric Chamber Facility
- Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas
- University of North Dakota's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, Aviation Training
- Naval Operational Medicine Institute, Operational medical and survival training and consultative services to military forces worldwide
- Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus, Aircrew training, research, and other uses
- National AeroSpace Training And Research (NASTAR) Center South, Air and space training, research, and education
- RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine
- Center for Man in Aviation, Royal Netherlands Air Force, Aircrew training, physiology, research and certification of equipment
- University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, aerospace physiology research
- AXA Training Center, Training ground of Liverpool F.C.[2]
See also
- hyperbaric chamber places subjects under increased atmospheric pressure or increased oxygen saturation, or both, for purposes including improved wound healing.
Notes
- ISBN 9780472116850.
Are hypobaric chambers, which simulate high-altitude conditions, a nat- ural way to improve your body?
- ^ "A 'secret' stairway and the James Milner door: Liverpool open training ground". The Guardian. 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-11-24.