A hypoxicator is a

medical device A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

intended to provide a stimulus for the adaptation of an individual's cardiovascular system by means of breathing reduced oxygen hypoxic air and triggering mechanisms of compensation. The aim of

intermittent hypoxic training Intermittent hypoxic therapy, also known as intermittent hypoxic training (IHT), is a technique aimed at improving human performance by way of adaptation to reduced oxygen. An IHT session consists of an interval of several minutes breathing hypo ...

or hypoxic therapy conducted with such a device is to obtain benefits in physical performance and wellbeing through improved oxygen metabolism. There are several commercial systems available. Most of these systems have not been cleared for medical applications by the FDA and are used by athletes for altitude training. Advanced hypoxicators have a built-in

pulse oximeter Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method for monitoring blood oxygen saturation. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) readings are typically within 2% accuracy (within 4% accuracy in 95% of cases) of the more accurate (and invasive) reading of art ...

used to monitor and in some cases control the temporary reduction of arterial

oxygen saturation Oxygen saturation (symbol SO2) is a relative measure of the concentration of oxygen that is Dissolution (chemistry), dissolved or carried in a given medium as a proportion of the maximal concentration that can be dissolved in that medium at the g ...

that results in physiological responses evident at both systemic and cellular levels even after only a few minutes of hypoxia. Hypoxic Training Index (HTi) can be used to measure the delivered therapeutic dosage over the training session. The underlying mechanisms of adaptation to mild, non-damaging, short-term (minutes) hypoxic stress (also called -

) are complex and diverse, but are part of normal physiology and are opposite to patho-physiological effects of severe

sleep apnea Sleep apnea (sleep apnoea or sleep apnœa in British English) is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive Apnea, pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor vent ...

hypoxia. There are a number of types of hypoxicators that can be distinguished by the method of producing hypoxic air and its delivery to the user's respiratory system. Commonly used are air separation systems employing

semi-permeable membrane Semipermeable membrane is a type of synthetic or biologic, polymeric membrane that allows certain molecules or ions to pass through it by osmosis. The rate of passage depends on the pressure, concentration, and temperature of the molecules o ...

technology or

pressure swing adsorption Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a technique used to separate some gas species from a mixture of gases (typically air) under pressure according to the species' molecular characteristics and affinity for an adsorbent material. It operates at ne ...

or (PSAS). There are also non-powered hand-held devices rebreathers-hypoxicators. The term hypoxicator was suggested by Russian scientists in 1985 to describe a new class of devices for

Intermittent hypoxic training Intermittent hypoxic therapy, also known as intermittent hypoxic training (IHT), is a technique aimed at improving human performance by way of adaptation to reduced oxygen. An IHT session consists of an interval of several minutes breathing hypo ...

(IHT)an emerging drug-free treatment for a wide range of degenerative disorders and for simulated altitude training used to achieve greater endurance performance as well as offering pre-acclimatisation for mountaineersminimising the risk of succumbing to

acute mountain sickness Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different wa ...

on a subsequent ascent. The hypoxia challenge of IHT is normally delivered in an intermittent manner: 3-7 min of hypoxic air breathing alternated with 1-5 min of normoxic or hyperoxic air. The hypoxicator allows automated and pre-programmed delivery of the required hypoxic and hyperoxic or normoxic air and safety monitoring. The therapeutic range of arterial oxygen desaturation for IHT is SpO₂ = 75% - 88% and must be selected based upon the recommendation of a medical specialist. Studies have also shown that hypoxic air treatment may increase the recovery speed and endurance of spinal cord injuries. There are no reported adverse effects associated with this kind of treatment. However, symptoms of over-training may appear as a result of abusing basic training protocols supplied by manufacturers. Products that do not offer effective and instant monitoring and control over the treatment sessions must be avoided. Pulse oximeters should be used to monitor the level of arterial oxygen saturation that is the basic measure of hypoxic training dosage. Good brands have pulse oximeters integrated into the system and the best hypoxicators are equipped with automated biofeedback hypoxic training control mechanisms. This type of equipment has been validated as a cost-effective and safe method of assessing respiratory patients' response to the reduced levels of oxygen onboard commercial passenger flights.

References

{{reflist Respiratory therapy Medical pumps