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World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2018 pp 711–717Cite as

Breathing Experiments into the Simulated Avalanche Snow: Medical and Technical Issues of the Outdoor Breathing Trials

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Part of the book series: IFMBE Proceedings ((IFMBE,volume 68/1))

Abstract

Avalanche burials represent one of the most dangerous risks associated with winter activities in the mountains. Asphyxiation occurs as a consequence of blocked airways; or, due to a severe hypoxia and hypercapnia resulting from rebreathing previously exhaled gas. Recently, outdoor breathing experiments with healthy volunteers were conducted in order to investigate the gas exchange limitations and work of breathing effects on the probability of survival under avalanche snow. Ambient conditions during the experiments differ significantly from the recommended operating conditions of the medical devices. Therefore, special measures need to be applied during the experiments not only to assure proper functioning of the devices used for the monitoring of the breathing subjects, but also ensuring their required precision and accuracy. As the subject starts to suffer from hypoxia and hypercapnia short after beginning of the breathing trial, careful and detailed monitoring and advanced safety precautions must be adopted. Using our experience from real outdoor breathing trials, we aim to recommend both the technical and medical precautions that should be undertaken in future studies.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by Czech Technical University in Prague grant No. SGS17/203/OHK4/3T/17.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, nám Sítná 3105, 272 01, Kladno, Czech Republic

    Lenka Horáková & Karel Roubík

  2. Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University in Prague, J. Martího 31, 162 52, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Karel Sýkora

  3. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 2, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Ladislav Sieger

Authors
  1. Lenka Horáková
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  2. Karel Sýkora
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  3. Ladislav Sieger
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  4. Karel Roubík
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lenka Horáková .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CIIRC, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

    Lenka Lhotska

  2. Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic

    Lucie Sukupova

  3. Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Igor Lacković

  4. Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Geoffrey S. Ibbott

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Horáková, L., Sýkora, K., Sieger, L., Roubík, K. (2019). Breathing Experiments into the Simulated Avalanche Snow: Medical and Technical Issues of the Outdoor Breathing Trials. In: Lhotska, L., Sukupova, L., Lacković, I., Ibbott, G.S. (eds) World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2018. IFMBE Proceedings, vol 68/1. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-9035-6_132

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-9035-6_132

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-9034-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-9035-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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