O2 flow rate

[Stephen]

I have a Mountain High portable O2 bottle with Cannulas. It isn't pulse demand, just constant flow. Was wondering what flow rate some of you you use in the Mid-Low teens with this type of set up. I do have a finger pulse Ox, but was just curious what rate folks use per person. 

[KLRDMD]

7 minutes ago, Stephen said:

I have a Mountain High portable O2 bottle with Cannulas. It isn't pulse demand, just constant flow. Was wondering what flow rate some of you you use in the Mid-Low teens with this type of set up. I do have a finger pulse Ox, but was just curious what rate folks use per person. 

1 LPM per 10k ft

[DVA]

Do not rely on other people’s flow rates or on any calculation. The only way to be sure you are oxygenated properly at any altitude is to invest in a PulseOx and adjust O2 flow so you are maintaining an SpO2 of your normal earthly saturation. Most people are fine in the range of anything above 92%. Dropping below the high 80’s is indicative of hypoxemia, which can progress to hypoxia which can progress to trouble.


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[kortopates]

As above, with a good flow meter like the Precise Flight A5 and a pulse Oximeter. The good flow meters aren’t marked in volume but in altitude. That gets you started and then you fine tune based on your spo2.


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[Stephen]

2 hours ago, DVA said:

Do not rely on other people’s flow rates or on any calculation. The only way to be sure you are oxygenated properly at any altitude is to invest in a PulseOx and adjust O2 flow so you are maintaining an SpO2 of your normal earthly saturation. Most people are fine in the range of anything above 92%. Dropping below the high 80’s is indicative of hypoxemia, which can progress to hypoxia which can progress to trouble.


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Yes, I have a PulseOx and have been monitoring spo2, I  just wanted to understand norms for flow rate to verify efficiency of my system. 

[DVA]

Yes, I have a PulseOx and have been monitoring spo2, I  just wanted to understand norms for flow rate to verify efficiency of my system. 

Sry to sound terse, I may have come across that way, it was unintentional.

I will stay that pilots have to understand that “norms” for proper oxygen saturation has nothing to do with liters of flow or altitude markings. Those are just reference points. The norm is based on the person. You may recall that a healthy person may properly saturate at a given altitude with x liters per minute, but a smoker or a person with even mild copd or other respiratory pathology may require twice or three times as much O2 to reach the same safe SpO2 levels.

I just hope this discussion helps pilots who fly high with supplemental O2 understand that their own self dictates flow, not a marking on a gauge.

The pulse ox is the only valid checklist item.

Happy safe high flying!


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[Stephen]

Thanks Dave, no worries;  all sound points. I keep checking my O2 sat and seem to be at 93-94 ish with it. Just wondering  what norms were not to set to that per se, but to see if I'm pushing 2 or 3x the O2 necessary for the altitudes (low to mid teens) I may fly . I knew I could empirically  go down until I say my saturation start to drop, was just curious a what very rough starting point I would expect that to happen. 

This AOPA article seems to cover the topic. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1998/september/pilot/o2-issues

They mention a /10K' rule of thumb as well, but you are right, ultimately you need the pulse ox to *know* what is going on.  Thanks for your thoughts. 

Edited September 29, 2018 by Stephen