MovieChat Forums > Airspeed (2000) Discussion > 2 nannies pass out in 10 seconds

2 nannies pass out in 10 seconds


My first impression (I'm 15 minutes in) is p.u.

So it makes nit picking a lot easier. I'm an M.D. that did some training at the institute for space medicine, in 1977. True, that was 35 yrs ago, but the principles are still the same. As in how long it takes to pass out when the concentration of ambient oxygen decreases rapidly. Like minutes. As the concentration of oxygen decreases in the blood stream.

And then the girl nanny wakes up and is perfectly normal. No brain damage? Come on sci fi writers lets do a bit of research, ok? As they say on espn, "c'mon man."

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I'm an M.D. that did some training at the institute for space medicine, in 1977. True, that was 35 yrs ago, but the principles are still the same. As in how long it takes to pass out when the concentration of ambient oxygen decreases rapidly. Like minutes. As the concentration of oxygen decreases in the blood stream.
I know it's going to seem like I am questioning your medical training, but I am not. High altitude hypoxia from rapid decompression is not the same as holding your breath for 2 minutes below 10,000 feet. In a rapid decompression of an airliner occurring at or above a typical cruising altitude of 30,000 feet, you would not have 2 minutes. You would literally have seconds before passing out. The quote below is from AVweb: http://tinyurl.com/ml2r72f

"The time of useful consciousness is the time your brain is awake enough to be useful and make decisions. This varies from almost indefinite at 10,000 feet to 9 to 12 seconds above 40,000 feet. An explosive or rapid decompression will cut this time in half due to the startle factor and the accelerated rate at which an adrenaline soaked body burns oxygen."

This is part of the reasoning behind prefilght passenger safety briefings on the loss of cabin pressure, where adult passengers are instructed to secure their own oxygen mask before attempting to aid others sitting next to them. (In an actual emergency, most parents flying with their children would likely ignore this important instruction because it goes against human parental instinct).

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