Letter to the EditorThe Avalanche Victim Resuscitation Checklist, a new concept for the management of avalanche victims
Section snippets
Conflict of interest statement
All authors declare no financial or personal conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
To all ICAR MEDCOM members who participated in the project and to Emily Procter for editing.
References (5)
- et al.
Resuscitation of avalanche victims: evidence-based guidelines of the international commission for mountain emergency medicine (ICAR MEDCOM): intended for physicians and other advanced life support personnel
Resuscitation
(2013) - et al.
Prognostic factors in avalanche resuscitation: a systematic review
Resuscitation
(2010)
Cited by (26)
Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Avalanche and Nonavalanche Snow Burial Accidents: 2024 Update
2023, Wilderness and Environmental MedicineSurvival probability in avalanche victims with long burial (≥60 min): A retrospective study
2021, ResuscitationCitation Excerpt :If lethal trauma is excluded and the airway is patent, an avalanche victim with a long burial who is in CA may have a good outcome if rescuers recognise accidental hypothermia as a possible cause of the CA and treat the patient accordingly. A dedicated checklist (Avalanche Victim Resuscitation Checklist) has been developed by the International Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine (ICAR MEDCOM) to help identify avalanche victims in hypothermic CA, to guide rescuers, and to increase adherence to life-saving algorithms.31,32 The study was retrospective with a potential information bias caused by missing data and only a brief description of some of the rescues.
Avalanche airbag post-burial active deflation — The ability to create an air pocket to delay asphyxiation and prolong survival
2020, ResuscitationCitation Excerpt :Although experimental conditions, body position, and participants were different, we expect that the air pocket from the deflated airbag would likely delay asphyxia much longer than that of the inhalation/exhalation separator studied by Grissom et al.12 We anticipate that the air pocket would improve survival chances in avalanche accidents in the proper conditions, however the exact survival benefit is unknown. The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines avalanche algorithm uses the presence of a patent airway to help determine whether a victim should continue to be resuscitated or attempts ceased during rescue.5 The guidelines instruct the rescue team to note the presence or absence of an air pocket to help determine whether the victim may have a longer potential for suvival because of delayed asphyxiation.
Cut-off values of serum potassium and core temperature at hospital admission for extracorporeal rewarming of avalanche victims in cardiac arrest: A retrospective multi-centre study
2019, ResuscitationCitation Excerpt :The study indicates that the adherence to out-of-hospital recommendations can be poor, and insufficient transfer of information from the accident site to the hospital may partially explain the respective poor outcome of arrested avalanche victims treated with emergency cardiac care. To address these problems, a resuscitation checklist was published in 2014 by ICAR MEDCOM.38 It is too early to draw any conclusions regarding whether this initiative will reduce the overall number of futile rewarming attempts of avalanche victims with OHCA, as many victims may still reach the hospital without out-of-hospital data or without meeting the criteria for ECLS rewarming.
Knowledge of the Avalanche Victim Resuscitation Checklist and Utility of a Standardized Lecture in Italy
2018, Wilderness and Environmental MedicineCitation Excerpt :The survey, together with previous studies,4 is a testament to the lack of knowledge that prehospital personnel have in avalanche rescue and justifies the need for specific training with standardized lectures to facilitate appropriate prehospital management of specifically mountain-related injuries. In turn, personnel can identify hypothermic victims eligible for prolonged resuscitation (extracorporeal rewarming or possibility for good outcome) vs asphyxia-induced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (low chance of survival).2,3,8,9 In a previous study, burial duration was documented in 91% of completely buried avalanche victims, and airway status was unknown in 24% of long burial cases.4
Asphyxia after complete avalanche burial: A new paradigm
2017, Resuscitation