Effect of Ascent Protocol on Acute Mountain Sickness and Success at Muztagh Ata, 7546 m

• DOI: 10.1089/ham.2008.1043
• Publication Date: 2008-03-11T04:43:03Z
• Authors: Konrad E. Bloch; Alexander J. Turk; Marco Maggiorini; Thomas Hess; Tobias Merz; Martina M. Bosch; Daniel Barthelmes; Urs Hefti; Jacqueline Pichler; Oliver Senn; Otto D. Schoch
• Keywords: Altitude sickness; Mountaineering; Summit; Hum

Bloch, Konrad E., Alexander J. Turk, Marco Maggiorini, Thomas Hess, Tobias Merz, Martina M. Bosch, Daniel Barthelmes, Urs Hefti, Jacqueline Pichler, Oliver Senn, and Otto D. Schoch. Effect of ascent protocol on acute mountain sickness success at Muztagh Ata, 7546 m. High Alt. Med. Biol. 10:25-32, 2009.-Data acclimatization during expedition-style climbing to > 5000 m are scant. We evaluated the hypothesis that minor differences in influence (AMS) symptoms mountaineering climbers Ata (7546 m), Western China. performed a randomized, controlled trial high altitude medical research expedition Ata. Thirty-four healthy mountaineers (mean age 45 yr, 7 women) were randomized follow one two protocols, ascending within 15 or 19 days summit m, respectively. The main outcome measures, AMS symptom scores number proceeding climbers, assessed daily. Mean +/- SD AMS-C 16 slow 0.06 0.18, 0.26 0.08, 0.41 0.45, 0.53 0.77 camps I (5533 II (6265 III (6865 Corresponding values 18 fast significantly higher: 0.17 0.23, 0.43 0.75, 0.49 0.36, 0.69 0.54 (p < 0.008, vs. regression analysis accounting for weather-related deviation). Climbers able ascend according without more than = 0.04, Kaplan-Meier analysis). More successful reaching highest camp 6865 (odds ratio 9.5; 95% confidence interval 1.02 89). In very altitudes, few have significant impact severity, prevalence AMS, success. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT00603122.