“Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a syndrome induced by hypoxia in unacclimatized individuals who ascend rapidly to altitudes exceeding 2500m and remain there for more than several hours” (Beidleman, et al., 2003, p. 322). AMS typically occurs when an individual is exposed to reduced air pressures and lower oxygen concentrations, which is most often encountered at high altitudes (Heller, 2009). “Oxygen is critical to normal cellular function because it is an essential part of the electron transport chain for energy production in cells” (West, 2004, p. 790). The first account of mountain sickness was documented in 1590 by Jose do Acosta, a Spanish Jesuit, in his book, Historia Natual y Moral de las India (Virués-Ortega, Garrido, Javierre & Kloezeman, 2006). AMS is diagnosed and classed according to the Lake Louise AMS assessment score (Vardy, Vardy & Judge, 2005). The clinical diagnosis of AMS is made in the setting of recent ascent combined with two associated symptoms, based on the consensus of 1991 International Hypoxia Symposium at Lake Louise, Canada as described in Figure 1 (Hou, Lin & Wang, 2004). The AMS assessment includes five symptoms: headache, gastrointestinal distress, fatigue or weakness, dizziness or light-headedness, and difficulty sleeping (Wagner, Fargo, Parker, Tatsugawa & Young, 2006). Each symptom is scored on a scale of 0 (not present) through 3 (severe or incapacitating) (Wagner et al., 2006). Symptom scores are combined, resulting in a range from a minimal assessment score of 0, to a maximal score of 15 (Wagner et al., 2006). The preferred assessment method is a headache with one other symptom and a total score of three or more (Wagner et al., 2006). AMS typically resolves spontaneously within 1 – 3 d... ... middle of paper ... ...of hypoxia-inducible factor. British Journal of Haematology, 141, 325-334. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2141.2008.07029.x 8. Vardy, J., Vardy, J., Judge, K. (2005). Can knowledge protect against acute mountain sickness? Journal of Public Health, 27(4). 366-370, doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdi060 9. Virués-Ortega, J., Garrido, E., Javierre, C., and Kloezeman, K. C. (2006). Human behavior and development under high-altitude conditions. Developmental Science, 9(4), 400-410. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2006.00505.x 10. Wagner, D. R., Fargo, J. D., Parker, D., Tatsugawa, K., Young, T. A. (2006). Variables contributing to acute mountain sickness on the summit of Mt Whitney. Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 17(4), 221-228. DOI: 10.1580/PR43-05.1 11. West, J. B. (2004). The physiologic basis of high-altitude diseases. [Electronic version]. Annals of Internal Medicine. 141(10). 789-800.
Chapter 1: This book starts in the chronological middle of the story. It has Krakauer atop everest with a storm brewing. Then it starts to explain physical ailments like coughing, separated ribs, trouble breathing, and a varied mental state because of a lack of oxygen. Two other guides are up with him Anatoli Boukreev and Andy Harris.
This became the deadliest expedition to ever climb, with 15 people losing their lives. Krakauer explains his intrinsic motivations to accept this challenge and many of the mistakes that helped lead to the disasters of that day. He includes himself, and explicitly blames himself for at least one person's death. The experience affects him profoundly, and in addition to telling the story, the book focuses on how Krakauer is forever changed as a result of what happened. All of the clients have difficulty adjusting to the altitude, tiring easily, losing weight and moving slowly.
In this activity renal response to Respiratory Acidosis and Respiratory Alkalosis were recorded. When the hydrogen ion and bicarbonate levels are normal, levels of Pco2 and pH are normal. However when hydrogen levels increase, Bicarbonate level decreases; pH decreases and carbon dioxide level increases. And As Bicarbonate level increases, hydrogen level decreases; pH increases and carbon dioxide level decreases.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is an adventurous story about a Mount Everest expedition gone wrong. The journey up the mountain is like previous trips, but once they reach the top of the mountain all hell breaks loose. A massive storm traps climbers stuck on the top of the mountain with little to no oxygen, no shelter, and nowhere to go. Oxygen depletion alone can kill someone and make them vulnerable to novice mistakes. Krakauer notices when he is lacking oxygen as he says, “The world beyond the rubber mask was stupendously vivid but seemed not quite real, as if a movie were being projected in slow motion across the front of my goggles. I felt drugged, disengaged, thoroughly insulated from external stimuli” (179). HACE, a medical condition in which the brain swells, is caused by a lack of oxygen and can kill people within 48 hours if not treated. With a lack of shelter, the climbers are exposed to Artic-like conditions.
The cost for a guide to bring someone up the mountain can be upwards to $70,000. People wanted to go regardless of their health and condition and guides would just do their job and just lead people up without knowing if they are weak or not ready for the climb.”Why did veteran Himalayan guides keep moving upward, ushering a gaggle of relatively inexperienced amateurs […] into an apparent death trap?”(Krakauer 8). This quote is an example of how the guides treat the people climbing up the mountain with the. They disregard the condition and state the people are and just keeping leading them up asking or knowing if they are weak and not ready for the climb up. Not only is this part of guide’s fault for people becoming injured or dead it is also the person’s fault for not thinking about themselves and the state and condition they are in to try to climb up the mountain.”It can't be stressed enough, moreover, that Hall, Fischer, and the rest of us were forced to make such critical decisions while severely impaired with hypoxia”(Krakauer 285). Jon Krakauer is responsible for some of the deaths of people mentioned in the book because of the decisions he made. Krakauer himself said he had guilt for not fully helping the people with hypoxia. The timing and decisions he made for descending back down also did play a role in how he caused some people to die instead of helping
The composite score is objective and calculated through a weighted formula designed to provide an equal contribution from each item while the severity rating is subjective and indicates the need for additional treatment in specific areas (Haraguchi et al., 2009). The SR ranges from 0 to 9 points and the CS ranges from 0 to 1 with anything higher than the normal 9 SR or 1 CS indicating greater problem severities (Haraguchi et al., 2009). Although some problems still exist, the ASI has been reported to have nearly achieved both reliability and validity (Haraguchi et al.,
. On March 1996, Outside magazine hired journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer to write an about the commercialism on Mount Everest. Krakauer decides he would climb the mountain and get a firsthand experience, he set out on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day eight people were dead. This proves that this is not an easy expedition, it is one that people risk their lives to do. With a lot of hard work and dedication Jon Krakauer successfully finished the climb and decided he wanted to write more than the article that he was assigned to. This is where Into Thin Air became. It is a book telling the story of the ill-fated adventure and a breakdown of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the various events that occurred. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is intense and also points out how extremely sorry he was for the ones that los...
12. Scott, Clark. "Medical aspects of the lewis and clark expedition." Lweis and Clark Trail 27 January 2014.
Colorado was viewed as a place to visit and live in because of the climate, scenery, and promise of good health to its people (Abbott, Leonard, Noel, 2013, pp. 227). Tourism in Colorado has evolved immensely and has helped form Colorado into what it is today. Before anyone could realize Colorado’s potential as being an iconic tourist place, in the 1860s, journalist began to view Colorado differently. They began to notice Colorado’s scenery and they slowly recognized Colorado’s potential for evolution and development through tourists and travelers (Abbott, Leonard, Noel, 2013, pp. 223). Many people sought good health while they were sick and since the journalists really started to see the value of Colorado, they really made its climate stand out and become more appealing to those who were sick, mentioning the great benefits the climate would have on poor health. One-third of the state’s population consisted of people that were once sick (Abbott, Leonard, Noel, 2013, pp.229).
I would have gone home and left the Valley Forge because of the sicknesses. During the war at Valley Forge, George Washington was under command. He and his army had stayed at Valley Forge for six months to train the Continental Army to get stronger. Still, one thing that weakened the military were the sicknesses. According to Noel F. Busch, approximately 6,887 soldiers left the U.S. army because of illnesses from December 1777 to the February of 1778 (1). Plus, 1,800 to 2,500 soldiers died during the camp out from being ill (Busch 1). Consequently, the army decreased in size. At that point in time, there were very slim chances of the Continental Army winning the war. Why-as a U.S. soldier-risk my life if so many members of my army are leaving
Climbing makes for a difficult expedition, you need to give up the wrappers when you was ascending. You need to give up the heavy things, you need to give up your wrappers, and you need to give yourselves. Sometimes we need to give up our lives to climb the mount Everest. According to snow storm, the energy, the oxygen and the people who desired prove themselves the spring’s 96s expedition to mountain Everest was destined to be the most tragic.
The statement above suggests that developmental deficiency in what children suffer from when exposed to a human less environment. When a child grows with no human contact, their ...
Everest is an unbelievable mountain that has taken the lives of a number of the greatest climbers in history. It was my job to ensure that clients make it up that treacherous mountain safely. My name is Rob Hall. I was the main guide and cofounder of a climbing company called Adventure Consultants. My friend, Gary Ball, and I used to be professional climbers. Together we succeeded in climbing to the highest summit on each of the seven continents in seven months. This was our greatest achievement. After this, we decided to start our own company guiding clients up large mountains. In May 1992, we successfully led six clients to the summit of Everest. Unfortunately, Gary died of cerebral edema in October 1993 during an attempt on the world’s sixth-tallest mountain. He died in my arms and the next day I buried him in a crevasse. Despite the pain that his death had caused me, I continued guiding for our company and eventually led thirty-nine climbers to the summit of Everest.
In an informational article, by Guy Moreau, titled Why Everest?, Moreau writes, “In recent years, this problem has been made worse by the large number of climbers who want to conquer Everest.” The article also says that, “The climbing season only lasts for about two months…Climbers need to leave the final camp by late morning. Then, there can be so many of them in the death zone that there are traffic jams. Some days, up to 200 people set off.” Since there are delays, people have to stay longer, and they “…can suffer exposure and use their precious supplies of oxygen.” Many people end up dying since they all thought they could climb the
From the frozen tundra of the arctic north to the arid deserts of sub-Saharan Africa – humans not only survive, but even thrive in some of the most extreme and remote environments on the planet. This is a testament to the remarkable capacity for adaptation possessed by our species. Each habitat places different stressors on human populations, and they must adapt in order to mitigate them. That is, adaptation is the process by which man and other organisms become better suited to their environments. These adaptations include not only physical changes like the larger lung capacities observed in high altitude natives but also cultural and behavioral adjustments such as traditional Inuit clothing styles, which very effectively retain heat but discourage deadly hyperthermia-inducing sweat in Arctic climates. Indeed, it seems this later mechanism of adaptation is often much more responsible for allowing humans to populate such a wide variety of habitats, spanning all seven continents, rather than biological mechanisms. Of course, not all adaptations are entirely beneficial, and in fact may be maladaptive, particularly behavior adaptations and highly specialized physical adaptations in periods of environmental change. Because people rely heavily on social learning, maladaptaptive behaviors such as sedentarization and over-eating – both contributing to obesity – are easily transmitted from person to person and culture to culture, as seen in the Inuit’s adoption of American cultural elements.