Has anyone tried nasal cannulas v. masks at altitude (obviously 18000ft or less -- cannulas are not approved for use about 18k ft) and have SpO2 levels to compare?
I used a nasal cannula a while back at 17k feet, and my SpO2 was somewhere around 85 or so. I don't think that's significantly better than without any oxygen at all. (I had a couple friends who experimented without O2, their SpO2 ranged from about 77-80).
I was using the oxysaver cannula, where the oxygen flow is adjusted based on altitude. I didn't use the mask to compare, but I imagine that the mask (partial rebreather) would have been much more effective.
I used a nasal cannula a while back at 17k feet, and my SpO2 was somewhere around 85 or so. I don't think that's significantly better than without any oxygen at all. (I had a couple friends who experimented without O2, their SpO2 ranged from about 77-80).
I was using the oxysaver cannula, where the oxygen flow is adjusted based on altitude. I didn't use the mask to compare, but I imagine that the mask (partial rebreather) would have been much more effective.
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