title: Difficult decisions at altitude: the management of an acutely dyspneic porter at 5000 meters.
abstract: We report a case of a porter who presented with acute dyspnea during an expedition in Nepal at 5000 m above sea level. We present the difficulties involved in making the correct diagnosis in this patient under austere conditions and discuss the difficult decisions that must be made in caring for such a patient.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth PL6 8DH, UK. fionbellis@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Fionn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bellis
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parris
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thake
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003657:Decision Making; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004638:Emergency Treatment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009051:Mountaineering; D009390:Nepal; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen