Hyperventilation-Induced Hypocapnia in an Aviator.

BACKGROUND: Physiological episodes are a top safety concern for aviators across the United States military. While many cases and a variety of causes for physiological episodes have been described, few cases, if any, have been reported of hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia and transient loss of consciousness.CASE REPORT: Here we describe a case of an aviator who experienced tingling extremities, confusion, and loss of consciousness during a flight. The aviator incorrectly believed he was experiencing hypoxia and continued to take multiple steps to troubleshoot the wrong underlying problem for his symptoms. Evaluation after landing suggested this was instead a stress-induced hyperventilation that resulted in symptomatic hypocapnia.DISCUSSION: We report this case to add to the body of literature in understanding this phenomenon as well as to provide aviators, physiologists, and flight surgeons with practical suggestions for recognizing hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia and awareness of how to remedy this situation when they recognize it.Kramer KEP, Anderson EE. Hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia in an aviator. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2022; 93(5):470-471.

Citation

Kathleen E P Kramer, Eric E Anderson. Hyperventilation-Induced Hypocapnia in an Aviator. Aerospace medicine and human performance. 2022 May 01;93(5):470-471

Mesh Tags

PMID: 35551718

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