Noncompressible Chest Wall in Critically Buried Avalanche Victims with Cardiac Arrest: A Case Series.
High altitude medicine & biology · 2024-09-30 · Observational study
Abstract
David Eidenbenz, Alexandre Kottmann, Ken Zafren, Pierre-Nicolas Carron, Roland Albrecht, and Mathieu Pasquier. Noncompressible chest wall in critically buried avalanche victims with cardiac arrest: a case series. High Alt Med Biol. 26:129-133, 2025. Introduction: In avalanche victims with cardiac arrest, a noncompressible chest wall or frozen body is a contraindication to initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The evidence sustaining this recommendation is low. Objective: To describe the characteristics and prehospital management of critically buried avalanche victims declared dead on site, with and without noncompressible chest walls. Methods: Retrospective study including all critically buried avalanche victims declared dead on site by physicians of a helicopter emergency medical service in Switzerland, from 2010 to 2019. The primary outcome was the proportion of victims with a noncompressible chest wall reported in medical records. Secondary outcomes included victims' characteristics and the relevance of the criterion, noncompressible chest wall, for management. Results: Among the 53 included victims, 12 (23%) had noncompressible chest walls. Victims with noncompressible chest walls had significantly longer burial durations (median 1,125 vs. 45 minutes; p < 0.001) and lower core temperatures (median 14 vs. 32°C; p = 0.01). The criterion, noncompressible chest wall, assessed in six victims, was decisive for declaring death on site in four victims. Conclusion: The presence of a noncompressible chest wall does not appear to be a sufficient criterion to allow to declare the death of critically buried avalanche victims. Further clinical information should be sought.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Related articles
- Management and outcome of patients with cardiac arrest after avalanche accidents in the Swiss Alps: A retrospective analysis. (Resusc Plus, 2025)
- Emergency medical helicopter operations for avalanche accidents. (Resuscitation, 2013)
- Full recovery of an avalanche victim with profound hypothermia and prolonged cardiac arrest treated by extracorporeal re-warming. (Resuscitation, 2008)
- Hypothermic Cardiac Arrest: A Case Report of an Unexpected Survivor Using Air Medical Transportation in Nepal. (Air Med J, 2024)
- Swedish-Norwegian co-operation in the treatment of three hypothermia victims: a case report. (Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med, 2017)
- Survival probability in avalanche victims with long burial (≥60 min): A retrospective study. (Resuscitation, 2021)