Effect of High Altitude Exposure, Acclimatization and Re-exposure on Psychomotor Performance in Lowlanders

Marc Poulin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Effect of High Altitude

Treatments: Other: altitude exposure

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02731456

REB15 - 2709_MOD1

Details and patient eligibility

About

Prospective interventional trial in lowlanders evaluating the effect of acute exposure, acclimatization and re-exposure to high altitude on psychomotor vigilance to measure sustained attention.

Full description

Baseline measurements will be performed in Santiago de Chile, 520 m, over the course of 3 days. Participants will then travel by commercial airline (2 h flight) and by bus (2 h ride) to the ALMA base camp located at 2900 m near San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. Participants will stay there for the next 7 nights and they will spend the days (6 total; 6-8 h daily) at the telescope station at 5050 m while undergoing testing as described above at the first and the last day at 5050m. Daily transports from 2900 to 5050 m will be by car (1 h ride, one way). After the first 7 day altitude sojourn participants will return to the Santiago area (520 m) for a 7 day recovery period. A second altitude sojourn with an identical schedule as the one described above and a final low altitude stay of 3 days will follow.

Enrollment: 18 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 40 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• born, raised and currently living <1300m
• No overnight stays at altitudes >1500m 4 weeks before the study

Exclusion criteria

• previous altitude intolerance <3000m
• pregnancy
• health impairment, which requires regular treatment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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18 participants in 1 patient group

Altitude exposure

Experimental group

Description:

Acute high altitude exposure followed by 8 day acclimatization and re-exposure for 8 days after 6 days at low altitude.

Treatment:

Other: altitude exposure