Hypoxicator

Hypoxicator - a medical device intended to provide a stimulus for theadaptation of an individual's cardiovascular system by means of breathingreduced oxygen hypoxic air and triggering mechanisms of compensation. The aim of hypoxia training or hypoxic therapy conducted with such a deviceis to obtain benefits in physical performance and wellbeing through improved oxygen metabolism.

Advanced hypoxicators have a built-in pulse oximeter used to monitor andin some cases control the temporary reduction of arterial oxygen saturationthat results in physiological responses evident at both systemicand cellular levels even after only a few minutes of hypoxia. [ [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17686146 Effects of simulated altitude (normobaric hypoxia) on cardiorespiratory parameters and circulating endothelial precursors in healthy subjects ] ]
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 - hypoxic training) are complex andDiverse [ |http://www.ebmonline.org/cgi/content/full/231/4/343] , but are part of normal physiology and are opposite to patho-physiological effects of severe sleep apnea hypoxia or anoxia.

There are a number of types of hypoxicators that can be distinguished by themethod of producing hypoxic air and its delivery to the user's respiratorysystem. Commonly used are air separation systems employing semi-permeable membrane technology or pressure swing adsorption or PSAS. There are alsonon-powered hand-held devices – rebreathers-hypoxicators.

The term hypoxicator was suggested by Russian scientists in 1985 todescribe a new class of devices for Intermittent Hypoxic Therapy (IHT) - anemerging drug-free treatment for a wide range of degenerative disorders and forsimulated altitude training used to achieve greater enduranceperformance [ Serebrovskaya TV. Intermittent hypoxia research in the former soviet union and the commonwealth of independent States: history and review of the concept and selected applications. High Alt Med Biol. 2002 Summer;3(2):205-21. ] as well as offering preacclimatisation formountaineers - minimising the risk of succumbing to acute mountain sickness on a subsequent ascent.
The hypoxia challenge of IHT is normally delivered in an intermittentmanner:3-7 min of hypoxic air breathing alternated with 1-5 min of normoxic orhyperoxic air.
The hypoxicator allows automated and pre-programmeddelivery 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 medicalspecialist.

There are no reported adverse effects associated with this kind oftreatment.
However, symptoms of overtraining may appear as a result ofabusing basic trainingprotocols supplied by manufacturers. Products that do not offereffective and instant monitoring and control over the treatment sessionsmust be avoided. Pulse oximeters should be used to monitor the level of arterial oxygensaturation that is the basic measure of hypoxic training dosage. Good brandshave pulse oximeters integrated into the system and the best hypoxicatorsare equipped with automated biofeedback hypoxic training controlmechanisms.

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