PULSE OXIMETER - KILIMANJARO SAFETY EQUIPMENT

A pulse oximeter is a tiny clip which fits over a finger, shining light into the tissue to measure the color of reflected light and estimate the amount of oxygen in the blood. It can subtly aid the diagnosis of altitude sickness on a Kilimanjaro climbing challenge. Oxygen is carried by red blood cells, the color determined by the percentage of oxygen they contain. Bright scarlet blood is oxygen rich as it leaves the lungs and becomes a dark, burgundy color when the oxygen is used up and replaced by carbon dioxide, which is exchanged for more oxygen when it goes back to the lungs.

Altitude sickness occurs when less oxygen is obtained from the lungs and arterial blood is darker in hue. Acclimatization increases the number of red blood cells available, enabling more oxygen to be carried. The redness of the blood tells you the level of oxygen saturation, from which you can judge the amount available to the trekker. However, these readings are very difficult to assess and vary from one individual to another especially at a high altitude environment.

A high reading of SpO2 could indicate very good acclimatization, or that the person is hyperventilating from anxiety, or even that he has carbon monoxide poisoning! A lower reading could demonstrate anoxia, oxygen starvation, or it could show that a person is coping very well with altitude. A trained athlete with 65% oxygen saturation may be perfectly safe, whilst a less fit trekker could still be at risk for hypoxemia at 75%. The real purpose of a pulse oximeter is to correlate heartbeat and oxygen saturation in a clinical environment for someone suffering from sleep apnea, heart attack or failure, pneumonia, anaemia and asthma.

On a climbing excursion on Kilimanjaro mountain, it makes more sense to rely on your AMS symptoms and your guide to decide if you can safely continue your climb, or if you should return to a lower elevation. Uhuru Trails by AfricanMecca advise that experienced High Altitude Responders use pulse oximeters if required, in conjunction with other signs, but it would be very dangerous to rely on the interpretation of a less well-trained first-aider or just by the hiker.

More Information On Pulse Oximeter

It is useful to explain in greater detail why a pulse oximeter may be especially useful or misleading under the very special circumstances of a climbing adventure on Kilimanjaro. An oximeter is used to indicate whether a climber is getting enough oxygen into the blood or whether supplementary oxygen may be necessary.

The small medical device is easily portable, battery operated, gives continuous, immediate real-time readings, and is non-invasive, painless and more convenient than analysis of an actual blood sample, which is a more accurate method of ascertaining the oxygen saturation level of the blood. This is because the hemoglobin, or red blood cells, may be fully charged with gases other than oxygen, but will still give the same results on a conventional pulse oximeter, so that someone dying from inhaling carbon monoxide or suffocating in carbon dioxide would give perfectly normal readings.

However, this is very unlikely on Kilimanjaro, where the major problems are due to cold, exhaustion and reduced air pressure at altitude, providing less oxygen from each lungful of air than at sea level. Readings can be falsified by a number of factors, such as anemia, callusing of the skin or drugs that tighten the capillaries which take blood to the fingertips. Even involuntary movement can cause errors.



Climactic conditions trekking on Mount Kilimanjaro can cause shivering, numbing of the fingers and slowing of the circulation, all of which falsify the readings, as well as hyperventilation due to stress and anxiety and hypoventilation due to extreme tiredness. For this reason, a pulse reading is also given. If the pulse is steady, the oximeter reading may be more reliable. Together with oximeter readings, you need a reliable assessment of ventilation, in other words, an experienced observer who can decide if your breathing pattern is normal or stressed and if your general condition or behavior indicates problems.

If you have a throbbing headache with confusion, lack of coordination or part paralysis, there is a higher probability that supplementary oxygen is needed to relieve High Altitude Cerebral or Pulmonary Edema, both potentially life-threatening conditions necessitating immediate evacuation, whereas headache, nausea and vomiting can be relieved by mild painkillers, rest, and a temporary descent to acclimatize.

The oximeter helps to assess whether supplementary oxygen is absolutely necessary, or whether rapid descent to lower elevations would solve the problem, but must be used by a trained and experienced specialist, your High Altitude Responder guide, who can combine the readings with direct personal observation of your general condition. Uhuru Trails by AfricanMecca recognize the potential usefulness of these devices on an African vacation ascent of Kilimanjaro especially with the 2008 development of Masimo oximeter that measures hemoglobin levels along with oxygen saturation.

Review Below The Pro's & Con's Of Safety Equipment For Your Kilimanjaro Trek

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