Medical Evacuations of Climbers on Mount Aconcagua, 2022-2024.

IF 1.4 4区 医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Aaron Brillhart, Javier Seufferheld, Bernabé Abramor, Rodrigo Duplessis, Roxana Pronce, Sameer Sethi
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

IntroductionMount Aconcagua (6961 m) is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere and attempted by over 3000 climbers annually. Aconcagua Provincial Park (APP) and the APP medical service oversee all rescues and medical care. This study aims to describe patients and conditions requiring rescue medical evacuation on Aconcagua.MethodsDemographic, medical, and logistics data provided by APP on all park evacuations were retrospectively reviewed from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 climbing seasons.ResultsOf 6494 total Aconcagua climbers over the study period, 302 required an evacuation response from APP (mean 151 per year), yielding an evacuation rate of 4.7%. Mean age was 43.0. Male climbers had twice the risk of requiring rescue than female climbers (OR 2.01). Most evacuees were European (40%) or North American (33%), though climbers from Africa, Asia, and Australia had over twice the incidence of rescue (OR 2.26). Most frequent reasons for evacuation included altitude illness of all types (62%), high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) (49%), trauma/musculoskeletal (15%), general medical (11%), and acute mountain sickness (11%). Most were flown by helicopter (95%), with flight location primarily from 4200 to 4300 m base camps (77%) and between 5300 and 5970 m (16%).ConclusionsOn Aconcagua, 4.7% of climbers required medical evacuation. Altitude illness frequently required rescue, with HAPE representing the single most common reason for evacuation. Male sex and certain continents of origin showed increased risks. Helicopter evacuation and medical oversight by APP appear to contribute to climber safety on Aconcagua. Opportunities exist for future study and climber education of risks.

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来源期刊
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生
CiteScore
2.10
自引率
7.10%
发文量
96
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, the official journal of the Wilderness Medical Society, is the leading journal for physicians practicing medicine in austere environments. This quarterly journal features articles on all aspects of wilderness medicine, including high altitude and climbing, cold- and heat-related phenomena, natural environmental disasters, immersion and near-drowning, diving, and barotrauma, hazardous plants/animals/insects/marine animals, animal attacks, search and rescue, ethical and legal issues, aeromedial transport, survival physiology, medicine in remote environments, travel medicine, operational medicine, and wilderness trauma management. It presents original research and clinical reports from scientists and practitioners around the globe. WEM invites submissions from authors who want to take advantage of our established publication''s unique scope, wide readership, and international recognition in the field of wilderness medicine. Its readership is a diverse group of medical and outdoor professionals who choose WEM as their primary wilderness medical resource.
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