Basic Life Support Ventilation in Mountain Rescue

Paal, Peter, John Ellerton, Gunther Sumann, Florian Demetz, Peter Mair, and Hermann Brugger. Basic life support ventilation in mountain rescue. High Alt. Med. Biol. 8:147–154, 2007.—Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the mountains usually has to be performed under difficult and hostile circumstances and sometimes for extended periods of time. Therefore, mountain rescuers should have the ability and the appropriate equipment to perform prolonged, efficient, and safe ventilation. Members of the International Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine (ICAR MEDCOM) discussed the results of a literature review, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of common ventilation techniques in basic life support and their training methods with specific respect to use in mountain rescue, and recommendations were proposed. Bystanders fear the potential risk of infection and lack the willingness to perform mouth-to-mouth ventilation, though the risk of infection is low. Mouth-to-mouth ventilation remains the standard...