scholarly journals Medical Aspects of Mountain Rescue by Helicopter

1985 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-71
Author(s):  
Georg Hossli ◽  
Christian Bühler
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Heart Attack ◽  
Spinal Column ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Medical Support ◽  
Mountain Rescue ◽  
Internal Bleeding ◽  
Mountain Sickness

In summer, mountain accidents may include falls, causing contusions and open wounds; fractures and torn ligaments; external bleeding;internal bleeding in the head, thorax and abdomen; injuries to the spinal column and extremities; falling rocks causing skull injuries; and falls into crevasses causing additional hypothermia, frostbite and drowning. In winter, there are skiing accidents with fractures and torn ligaments; and avalanches resulting in asphyxia, hypothermia and frostbite. In addition, there are mountain sickness; pulmonary edema of high altitude; snow blindness; heatstroke; sunstroke; heart attack; diarrhea and vomiting; pneumonia; snakebite; drowning in torrents or lakes; and burns, explosions and cuts acquired in huts. First aid, medical support and transport to hospital may vary widely.

Blood rheology in acute mountain sickness and high-altitude pulmonary edema

1991 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 934-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Reinhart ◽  
B. Kayser ◽  
A. Singh ◽  
U. Waber ◽  
O. Oelz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Blood Rheology ◽  
Plasma Viscosity ◽  
Erythrocyte Deformability ◽  
Erythrocyte Aggregation ◽  
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema ◽  
Mountain Sickness ◽  
Low Altitude

The role of blood rheology in the pathogenesis of acute mountain sickness and high-altitude pulmonary edema was investigated. Twenty-three volunteers, 12 with a history of high-altitude pulmonary edema, were studied at low altitude (490 m) and at 2 h and 18 h after arrival at 4,559 m. Eight subjects remained healthy, seven developed acute mountain sickness, and eight developed high-altitude pulmonary edema. Hematocrit, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation, and erythrocyte deformability (filtration) were measured. Plasma viscosity and erythrocyte deformability remained unaffected. The hematocrit level was lower 2 h after the arrival at high altitude and higher after 18 h compared with low altitude. The whole blood viscosity changed accordingly. The erythrocyte aggregation was about doubled 18 h after the arrival compared with low-altitude values, which reflects the acute phase reaction. There were, however, no significant differences in any rheological parameters between healthy individuals and subjects with acute mountain sickness or high-altitude pulmonary edema, either before or during the illness. We conclude that rheological abnormalities can be excluded as an initiating event in the development of acute mountain sickness and high-altitude pulmonary edema.

scholarly journals Acute Mountain Sickness, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, and High Altitude Cerebral Edema: An enhanced view from the High Andes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Zubieta-Calleja ◽  
Natalia Zubieta-DeUrioste
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Cerebral Edema ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
La Paz ◽  
Mountain Climbing ◽  
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude Cerebral Edema ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Background: Travelling to high altitude for entertainment or work is sometimes associated with acute high altitude pathologies. In the past, scientific literature from the lowlander point of view was mostly based on mountain climbing. Nowadays, altitude descent and evacuation are not mandatory in populated highland cities. Methods: We present how to diagnose and treat acute high altitude pathologies based on 50 years of high altitude physiology and medical practice in hypobaric hypoxic diseases in La Paz, Bolivia (3,600m; 11,811ft), at the High Altitude Pulmonary and Pathology Institute (HAPPI – IPPA) altitudeclinic.com.Results: Acute Mountain Sickness, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, and High Altitude Cerebral Edema are all medical conditions faced by some travelers. These can occasionally present after flights to high altitude cities, both in lowlanders or high-altitude residents during re-entry, particularly after spending more than 20 days at sea level.Conclusions: Acute high altitude ascent diseases can be adequately diagnosed and treated without altitude descent. Traveling to high altitude should not be feared as it has many benefits;

scholarly journals Acute Mountain Sickness, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, and High Altitude Cerebral Edema: A view from the High Andes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Zubieta-Calleja ◽  
Natalia Zubieta-DeUrioste
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Cerebral Edema ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude Cerebral Edema ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Healthy children and those with pre-existing conditions traveling to high altitude may experience diverse physiologic changes. Individuals who are not acclimatized and ascend rapidly are at risk of developing acute high altitude illnesses (HAI), which may occur within a few hours after arrival at high altitudes, being acute mountain sickness (AMS) the most common. In very few cases, serious complications may occur, including High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and very rarely High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE). Moreover, the number of children and adolescents traveling on commercial aircrafts is growing and this poses a need for their treating physicians to be aware of the potential risks of hypoxia while air traveling. In this article we present 50 years of medical practice at high altitude treating these pathologies succesfully with no casualties.

Acute Mountain Sickness

2018 ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
Nathaniel R. Mann
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Cerebral Edema ◽  
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Practical Management ◽  
High Altitude Cerebral Edema ◽  
Mountain Sickness

Altitude-related illness takes many forms, including cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, mountain sickness, and other conditions. Fatigue, dehydration, carbon monoxide poisoning, infections, and other illnesses can mimic or confound these processes. This chapter discusses common symptoms and treatments for high altitude cerebral edema, with a focus on practical management in field environments.

The lung at high altitude: bronchoalveolar lavage in acute mountain sickness and pulmonary edema

1988 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 2605-2613 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. B. Schoene ◽  
E. R. Swenson ◽  
C. J. Pizzo ◽  
P. H. Hackett ◽  
R. C. Roach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronchoalveolar Lavage ◽  
Pulmonary Edema ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Acute Mountain Sickness ◽  
Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy ◽  
Immunoglobulin M ◽  
Total Leukocyte Count ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Mountain Sickness ◽  
Arterial O2 Saturation

High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a severe form of altitude illness that can occur in young healthy individuals, is a noncardiogenic form of edema that is associated with high concentrations of proteins and cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid (Schoene et al., J. Am. Med. Assoc. 256: 63–69, 1986). We hypothesized that acute mountain sickness (AMS) in which gas exchange is impaired to a milder degree is a precursor to HAPE. We therefore performed BAL with 0.89% NaCl by fiberoptic bronchoscopy in eight subjects at 4,400 m (barometric pressure = 440 Torr) on Mt. McKinley to evaluate the cellular and biochemical responses of the lung at high altitude. The subjects included one healthy control (arterial O2 saturation = 83%), three climbers with HAPE (mean arterial O2 saturation = 55.0 +/- 5.0%), and four with AMS (arterial O2 saturation = 70.0 +/- 2.4%). Cell counts and differentials were done immediately on the BAL fluid, and the remainder was frozen for protein and biochemical analysis to be performed later. The results of this and of the earlier study mentioned above showed that the total leukocyte count (X10(5)/ml) in BAL fluid was 3.5 +/- 2.0 for HAPE, 0.9 +/- 4.0 for AMS, and 0.7 +/- 0.6 for controls, with predominantly alveolar macrophages in HAPE. The total protein concentration (mg/dl) was 616.0 +/- 3.3 for HAPE, 10.4 +/- 8.3 for AMS, and 12.0 +/- 3.4 for controls, with both large- (immunoglobulin M) and small- (albumin) molecular-weight proteins present in HAPE.

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