Exercise induced arterial desaturation in recreationally active males at moderate altitude helps explain variability in relationship between total hemoglobin mass and VO2max

Goodrich, Jesse, "Exercise induced arterial desaturation in recreationally active males at moderate altitude helps explain variability in relationship between total hemoglobin mass and VO2max" (2014). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 748. Abstract Exercise induced arterial desaturation (EIAD) occurs in a large percentage of highly trained athletes at sea-level (SL), but is extremely rare in less trained populations at SL. Altitude can increase the risk for EIAD, but little research has looked at the prevalence of EIAD in recreationally active males at moderate altitude (MA). Moreover, previous research has identified a strong correlation between total hemoglobin mass (tHb) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). However, no research has looked at the effect that EIAD might have on the VO2max-tHb relationship. The current study sought to determine the prevalence of EIAD in recreationally active males at moderate altitude, and further to determine how this effected the VO2max-tHb relationship. Additionally, we looked at how tHb and EIAD influenced performance at VO2max. Six recreationally active subjects living at moderate altitude (~1655 m) completed 5 separate visits. This consisted of a graded exercise test to determine VO2max, two endurance performance tasks at peak power output, and two tHb measurements using the optimized carbon monoxide rebreathing procedure. Preliminary results show that four of six subjects experienced EIAD. Additionally, while tHb alone explained a large portion of the variability in VO2max (adj r 2 (rel. VO2max, rel. tHb) = 0.66; adj r 2 (VO2max, tHb) = 0.86), adding arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) into the model increased this relationship (adj R 2 (rel. VO2max, rel. tHb, SaO2) = 0.72; adj R 2 (VO2max, tHb, SaO2) = 0.90). No correlation was found between end exercise SaO2, tHb, and performance at VO2max. Our results demonstrate that the conventional model of VO2max-tHb can be improved by taking into account SaO2 in populations that experience EIAD. Additionally, they highlight the importance of accounting for SaO2 as well as tHb as markers for oxygen transport and whole body oxygen carrying capability in relation to VO2max. Note on convention: correlations are presented using the adjusted coefficient of determination (discussed in methods section). When representing the adjusted coefficient of determination corresponding to bivariate regression analysis, lowercase symbols are used (ex: adj r 2). When representing the adjusted coefficient of determination corresponding to multivariate regression analysis, uppercase symbols are used (ex: adj R 2). Additionally, subscripts following this symbol display first the criterion measure, followed by any predictor …