Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-84/4
Title and Subtitle: Aviation-related cardiorespiratory effects of blood donation in female private pilots
Report Date: April 1984
Authors: Lategola MT, Davis AW Jr, Gilcher RO, Lyne PJ, Burr MJ
Abstract: Ten healthy female pilots, 20-49 years old and weighing more than 110 pounds were tested for tolerances to hypoxia orthostatic stress, and physical work at 1 and 3 d after donating about 450 mL of blood on one occasion, and 6 mL (sham control) on a second separate occasion. Testing included consecutive 30-min seated exposures to each of four oxygen-nitrogen mixtures (equal to air breathing at 6,000, 8,000, 10,000 and 12,400 ft of altitude), 5 min of quiet standing, and seated pedal ergometry graded to produce a heart rate of 140 beats per min.
The findings of this study indicated that, if the complete absence of adverse symptoms at ground level, a pilot may return to flying between 1 and 3 d after blood donation with the recommended initial precautions that: cabin altitude be limited to 6,000 during flight; and +Gz stress exceeding the equivalent of short-duration level turns at 30 deg of bank angle be avoided. Until complete restoration of the pilot's in-flight physiological tolerances has occurred, the presence of a copilot and on-board availability of supplemental oxygen are also recommended.
Key Words: Blood donation, Altitude tolerance, +Gz tolerance, Physical work tolerance, Medical standards, Medical certification, Airman education
No. of Pages: 31
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-84/4
Title and Subtitle: Aviation-related cardiorespiratory effects of blood donation in female private pilots
Report Date: April 1984
Authors: Lategola MT, Davis AW Jr, Gilcher RO, Lyne PJ, Burr MJ
Abstract: Ten healthy female pilots, 20-49 years old and weighing more than 110 pounds were tested for tolerances to hypoxia orthostatic stress, and physical work at 1 and 3 d after donating about 450 mL of blood on one occasion, and 6 mL (sham control) on a second separate occasion. Testing included consecutive 30-min seated exposures to each of four oxygen-nitrogen mixtures (equal to air breathing at 6,000, 8,000, 10,000 and 12,400 ft of altitude), 5 min of quiet standing, and seated pedal ergometry graded to produce a heart rate of 140 beats per min.
The findings of this study indicated that, if the complete absence of adverse symptoms at ground level, a pilot may return to flying between 1 and 3 d after blood donation with the recommended initial precautions that: cabin altitude be limited to 6,000 during flight; and +Gz stress exceeding the equivalent of short-duration level turns at 30 deg of bank angle be avoided. Until complete restoration of the pilot's in-flight physiological tolerances has occurred, the presence of a copilot and on-board availability of supplemental oxygen are also recommended.
Key Words: Blood donation, Altitude tolerance, +Gz tolerance, Physical work tolerance, Medical standards, Medical certification, Airman education
No. of Pages: 31
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012