Respiration During Snow Burial Using an Artificial Air Pocket

Abstract

In our study, although hypercapnia developed, breathing with the device during snow burial considerably extended duration of adequate oxygenation compared with breathing with an air pocket in the snow. Further study will be needed to determine whether the device improves survival during avalanche burial.

Patterns of death among avalanche fatalities: a 21-year review

“…The results of such an analysis should be used to guide adoption of other devices such as inflatable airbags 8,22,31,32 and breathing implements. 21,23,33 In our study, 51% of victims received cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and 21% received prehospital advanced life support. We were unable to assess whether these interventions were indicated.…”

Part 8: Advanced Life Support

“…This finding suggested that long-term survival was possible as long as an air pocket, even as small as 1 L, was present. One study (LOE P5) 429 indicated that deflection of expired air away from an air pocket may slow the development of hypoxia and hypercapnia.…”

Wilderness medicine

“…Improvised and commercial methods for preventing further body heat loss are being developed. [70][71][72][73][74][75] Arteriovenous anastomoses rewarming with or without negativepressure devices could offer a technique to rapidly rewarm severely hypothermic patients in the fi eld. [76,77] Resuscitation protocols for hypothermia and cardiac arrest have long engendered controversy, because of the resources that are required and the dismal recovery statistics.…”