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

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 a person's 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 ...

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 dissolved or carried in a given medium as a proportion of the maximal concentration that can be dissolved in that medium at the given temperature. It ca ...

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, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times ...

hypoxia Hypoxia means a lower than normal level of oxygen, and may refer to: Reduced or insufficient oxygen * Hypoxia (environmental), abnormally low oxygen content of the specific environment * Hypoxia (medical), abnormally low level of oxygen in the tis ...

. 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 biological or synthetic, polymeric membrane that will allow certain molecules or ions to pass through it by osmosis. The rate of passage depends on the pressure, concentration, and temperature of the molecule ...

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 nea ...

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

(IHT)an emerging drug-free treatment for a wide range of degenerative disorders and for simulated

altitude training Altitude training is the practice by some endurance athletes of training for several weeks at high altitude, preferably over above sea level, though more commonly at intermediate altitudes due to the shortage of suitable high-altitude locations. A ...

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 the harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People can respond to high altitude in different ways. Sympt ...

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