1987/04/01 by Peter H. Hackett, Robert C. Roach, G. L. Harrison +4 · 12 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Medicine · Neuroscience · #Acetazolamide #Anatomy #Anesthesia #Apnea #Breathing #Chemistry #Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research #Control of respiration #Crossover study #Effects of high altitude on humans #High Altitude and Hypoxia #Hypoxia (environmental) #Hypoxic ventilatory response #Internal medicine #Medicine #Neuroscience of respiration and sleep #Oxygen #Periodic breathing #Placebo #Respiratory system #Sleep and breathing #Ventilation (architecture)
paper · doi:10.1164/arrd.1987.135.4.896
openalex publication_date 1987/04/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
We studied the effects of almitrine, acetazolamide, and placebo on the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR), sleep periodic breathing, and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) in 4 healthy climbers. In a laboratory on Denali (Mt. McKinley) at 4,400 m (PB = 440 mm Hg), we used a double-blind, randomized, three-way crossover design. The HVR was measured during the waking state. Periodic breathing and SAO2% were measured during 3-h sleep studies. Almitrine and acetazolamide both increased SaO2% during sleep, although almitrine increased periodic breathing, whereas acetazolamide decreased periodic breathing. The HVR (delta VE/delta SaO2%) was doubled with almitrine (p less than 0.05), but unchanged with acetazolamide. The HVR was positively related to periodic breathing (p less than 0.05). We conclude that periodic breathing during sleep at high altitude is related to the hypoxic ventilatory response, and that acetazolamide is a superior agent to almitrine for ameliorating periodic breathing.