Effect of lipemia on arterial oxygen at high altitude

¹ Department of Medicine, USAF Hospital Wright-Patterson, and AeroMedical Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Some of the effects of acute fat loading on arterial O₂ at high altitude are described. Five dogs were taken to 12,000 feet in an altitude chamber and given fat infusions (1 gm/kg). There was a 10% drop in the arterial O₂ content and a similar drop in the O₂ capacity. One of the dogs had a surgically induced intra-atrial septal defect and died of fat emboli. Three dogs serving as controls at ground level had a 4% drop in arterial O₂ content after fat infusions. A practical method for screening poor human risks among flying personnel, employing a fat tolerance test, is discussed. The drop in the O₂ content and capacity of canine blood after fat infusions at 12,000 feet is at least twice that at ground level.