Medical mountain rescue in the Mont-Blanc massif

Abstract

Because of its peculiar geographic location beneath Mont-Blanc, the Chamonix Hospital plays an important role in the management of mountaineering- and skiing-related traumatic injuries. The authors, thanks to the study of 5200 mountain rescue medical reports, set out to explain the different aspects of this activity: epidemiology, specific equipment, care in the field, reception and primary survey, dispatching, common therapeutic attitudes, progress, and results. In the dangerous environment of the high mountains, emphasis is put on the physicians' experience, allowing an early evacuation in the best conditions to the hospital. Diagnosis at the scene of the accident is very basic, and the initial treatment is based on immobilization, analgesia, and sedating. In the case of resuscitation, only the vital maneuvers are performed; these actions are carried on during the short flight and improved in the crash rooms. Finally, different specific pathologies are mentioned, including cold- or heat-related injuries, exhaustion, lightning strikes, and mountain sickness.

Medical Considerations in the Use of Helicopters in Mountain Rescue

“…Such a helicopter must be staffed by appropriate mountain rescue and medically-trained personnel (see ICAR recommendation no. 3, Qualifications for Emergency Doctors in Mountain Rescue Operations: "must be comfortable in exposed situations ... conscious of his own safety ... able to work under extreme conditions", Rammlmair et al, 2002) who are part of the official emergency medical system, preferably emergency doctors, with appropriate rescue and medical equipment (Durrer, 1993;Marsigny et al, 1999;Demartines et al, 1991;Dalton et al, 1992).…”

Medical Standards for Mountain Rescue Operations Using Helicopters: Official Consensus Recommendations of the International Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine (ICAR MEDCOM)

“…We surmise that the advantages of a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) that have already been described will be even more pertinent in mountain rescue, as the path to and from the incident site may be dangerous or take many hours (Butler et al, 2010;Thomas, 2007). A helicopter therefore plays a significant part in an effective modern mountain rescue service (Marsigny et al, 1999;Tomazin, 2002).…”

Traumatic Travels – A Review of Accidental Death and Injury in International Travellers

“…25 A similar study conducted on Mount Blanc found that the death rate of mountaineers scaling the mountain was 12%. 26 These fatalities were often due to equipment failure, panic, poor judgment, overconfidence and avalanches. However, the greatest cause of casualties was as a result of falls; high altitude illness in trekkers could conceivably have contributed to some of these fatal falls.…”