Wilderness Medical Society consensus guidelines for the prevention and treatment of acute altitude illness.
To provide guidance to clinicians about best practices, the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) convened an expert panel to develop evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and treatment of acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). These guidelines present the main prophylactic and therapeutic modalities for each disorder and provide recommendations for their roles in disease management. Recommendations are graded based on the quality of supporting evidence and balance between the benefits and risks/burdens according to criteria put forth by the American College of Chest Physicians. The guidelines also provide suggested approaches to the prevention and management of each disorder that incorporate these recommendations.
Luks
Andrew M
AM
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. aluks@u.washington.edu
McIntosh
Scott E
SE
Grissom
Colin K
CK
Auerbach
Paul S
PS
Rodway
George W
GW
Schoene
Robert B
RB
Zafren
Ken
K
Hackett
Peter H
PH
D000086:Acetazolamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000208:Acute Disease; D000420:Albuterol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D002243:Carbolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009051:Mountaineering; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D011687:Purines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068299:Salmeterol Xinafoate; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D012952:Societies; D013450:Sulfones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068581:Tadalafil; D055813:Wilderness Medicine / Q000592:standards*
D002243:Carbolines; D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D013450:Sulfones; D000068299:Salmeterol Xinafoate; D000068581:Tadalafil; D003907:Dexamethasone; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D009543:Nifedipine; D000086:Acetazolamide; D000420:Albuterol