Effect of Inhalation of Low Dose CO2 on Exercise Performance at High Altitude

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: High Altitude; Inhalation; Gas; Acute Mountain Sickness
• Interventions: Drug: Exercise under inhalation CO2; Other: Exercise under inhalation ambient air

• Registration Number: NCT05798416
• Lead Sponsor: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease

Brief Summary

High altitude (\>2400 m) is associated with decreased atmosphere pressure leading to hypoxia which in turn impairs exercise capacity and causes acute mountain sickness (AMS). It is noted that adding CO2 might be beneficial to improve hypoxia and exercise performance at high altitude. However, no device is currently available that can supply a constant low dose of CO2 during free movement at high altitude. We have recently invented a portable device which is small and light enough for supplement of low dose CO2 during field exercise at high altitude.

Detailed Description

Objective: To determine whether the supplement of low-dose CO2 by the novel device could improve exercise performance at high altitude.

Methods: The lowlanders (\<500m) who have no history of travelling to high altitude (\>1000m) a year before the study will be recruited. And the subjects who are high-altitude residents and have not left high altitude over the last twelve months will also be recruited for the study. Subjects will be randomly and blindly given either CO2 mixed with air or air alone during endurance shuttle walking test (ESWT). Blood gases will be measured before and after inhalation of CO2. ESWT time, ventilation per minute (VE), blood oxygen saturation (SPO2), and end-tidal CO2 concentration (ETCO2) will be measured during exercise and will be compared during inhalation of CO2 and during inhalation of ambient air.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-02-15
• Study First Submitted: 2023-03-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-03-23
• Study First Posted: 2023-04-04
• Primary Completion: 2023-04-15
• Study Completion: 2023-04-29
• Status Verified: 2023-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-05-17
• Last Update Posted: 2023-05-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 28

Inclusion Criteria

1. Healthy lowlanders (<500m) who have no history to travel to high altitude (>1000m) a year before the study.
2. Healthy high altitude (4500m) residents who have not left the inhabited area over the last twelve months before the study.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Subjects with cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and neuromuscular diseases which could affect exercise.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Exercise under inhalation of CO2	Exercise under inhalation CO2	Subjects will perform shuttle walk test under inhalation of low concentration of CO2 supplied by a novel device at high altitude.
Exercise under inhalation of ambient air	Exercise under inhalation ambient air	Subjects will perform shuttle walk test under inhalation of ambient air at high altitude.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change of the distance in walking test	48 hours	Changes in walking distance under inhalation of CO2 and ambient air

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University; 🇨🇳 Guangzhou, Guangdong, China