The reliability and validity of the Affinity Altitude hypoxic generators in acute and chronic conditions

This study investigated the reliability of the Affinity Altitude hypoxic generator within-day, between-day and between generator under acute and chronic hypoxic conditions. An additional objective was to assess the validity of the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) values in relation to the claimed manufacture’s reference values to ensure the accuracy and safety of the product. Three altitude generators (Affinity Altitude Ltd., Sussex, UK) were assessed across all available settings during a test–retest design for equivalent FiO2 and output volume. This consisted of two phases: 1) acute exposure (10 min per setting) and 2) chronic exposure (8 h per setting). FiO2 and volume data were calculated from 1 min collection samples using the Douglas bag method for acute and chronic exposures. There were low variations in FiO2 data across all settings within the acute exposure for within-day (coefficient of variation [CV] range: 0.0–2.6%), between-day (0.2–1.3%), and between generator analysis (0.7–1.4%). This was similarly found for volume data within-day (0.1–3.7%), between-day (0.7–5.4%), and between-generator (1.2–3.0%). Equally, for chronic exposure trials, CV for FiO2 (<4.0%) and volume (<5.0%) across each of the generators presented low variations. The FiO2 values were similar to reference values, however, significant differences were found for settings 4 (−0.3% [17.6% vs. 17.9% reference value]) and 5 (−0.1% [15.8% vs. 15.9% reference value], both p<0.05). A ‘good’ level of reliability (CV<5%) and validity were found within and between the Affinity Altitude’s generators. However, a review of the reference values is warranted, and long-term experimental studies are required to determine the efficacy of this device for the purpose of physiological adaptations.</p

The reliability and validity of the Affinity Altitude hypoxic generators in acute and chronic conditions

This study investigated the reliability of the Affinity Altitude hypoxic generator within-day, between-day and between generator under acute and chronic hypoxic conditions. An additional objective was to assess the validity of the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) values in relation to the claimed manufacture’s reference values to ensure the accuracy and safety of the product. Three altitude generators (Affinity Altitude Ltd., Sussex, UK) were assessed across all available settings during a test–retest design for equivalent FiO2 and output volume. This consisted of two phases: 1) acute exposure (10 min per setting) and 2) chronic exposure (8 h per setting). FiO2 and volume data were calculated from 1 min collection samples using the Douglas bag method for acute and chronic exposures. There were low variations in FiO2 data across all settings within the acute exposure for within-day (coefficient of variation [CV] range: 0.0–2.6%), between-day (0.2–1.3%), and between generator analysis (0.7–1.4%). This was similarly found for volume data within-day (0.1–3.7%), between-day (0.7–5.4%), and between-generator (1.2–3.0%). Equally, for chronic exposure trials, CV for FiO2 (<4.0%) and volume (<5.0%) across each of the generators presented low variations. The FiO2 values were similar to reference values, however, significant differences were found for settings 4 (−0.3% [17.6% vs. 17.9% reference value]) and 5 (−0.1% [15.8% vs. 15.9% reference value], both p<0.05). A ‘good’ level of reliability (CV<5%) and validity were found within and between the Affinity Altitude’s generators. However, a review of the reference values is warranted, and long-term experimental studies are required to determine the efficacy of this device for the purpose of physiological adaptations.</p

The impact of running with and without a guide on short distance running performance for athletes with a vision impairment

Objective This study aimed to investigate the difference of running with or without a guide on running performance (100 m, 200 m and 400 m) for athletes with a vision impairment (VI). Design Data including athletes’ and guides’ sex, age and race times were extracted from 11 elite competitions. Results Male athletes predominantly ran without a guide (100 m = 91.4%, 200 m = 88.1%, 400 m = 84.8%), whereas, female athletes mainly ran with a guide (100 m = 60.5%, 200 m = 80.0%, 400 m = 72.0%). No significant difference in 100 m race times was found between male athletes with or without a guide (p = 0.647). For the 200 m (p = 0.001) and 400 m (p = 0.030), race times were significantly slower for male athletes running with a guide (mean rank 200 m = 36.80, 400 m = 33.57) compared to without a guide (mean rank 200 m = 19.43, 400 m = 21.69). Conversely, 100 m (p = 0.015), 200 m (p = 0.025) and 400 m (p = 0.029) race times were significantly faster for female athletes with (mean rank 100 m = 18.25, 200 m = 13.71, 400 m = 11.00) compared to without a guide (mean rank 100 m = 27.74, 200 m = 22.67, 400 m = 21.69). Conclusions Running with a guide affects VI athletes’ race times. The influence of running with a guide, and the gender mix of VI athlete and guide, should be considered in any research with the aim of establishing a new classification system for VI athletes

The profile of athletes with a vision impairment: Exploring demographics and ocular pathologies of athletes in three Paralympic sports

Objective This study aimed to explore the profile of athletes with a vision impairment (VI) who compete in three Paralympic sports (goalball, VI judo and blind football). Design Descriptive and association analyses of the VI athletes’ profile were conducted. Results The typical athlete profile was a male (65.1%), aged 26-34 years (39.7%), from Europe (38.8%), representing a country with a high-income (46.1%) and was diagnosed with a retinal-related ocular pathology (38.9%). In all three sports, the ages of the athletes were similar. In goalball, most athletes were from Europe, represented countries with a high-income and were diagnosed with retinal-, globe-, or neurological-related pathologies. In VI judo, the majority of athletes were from Asia, represented countries with an upper-middle-income and were diagnosed with retinal-, global-, or neurological-related pathologies. In blind football, most athletes were from Europe, represented countries with an upper-middle-income, and were diagnosed with retinal-, neurological-related ocular pathologies, or glaucoma. Conclusions The homogeneity of the athletes’ profile suggests that an effort is needed to target other parts of the VI population to take part in VI sports. Differences in the athletes’ profiles across the sports provides information that may be useful for sport-specific talent identification