Survival of fully buried avalanche victims depends in major part on a triad of hypoxia, hypercapnia, and hypothermia and therefore decreases rapidly after complete burial. Besides optimizing companion rescue, which still today and even by trained people often takes more than 15 minutes to the extraction of an avalanche victim, prolonging the ability to breath after critical avalanche burial increases survival probability by giving rescuers more time to find and unbury avalanche victims. Based on previous research, the Norwegian company Safeback SE (Bergen, Norway) developed a new non-medical device using an innovative functional principle. The device, called the Safeback SBX (Safeback SE, Bergen, Norway), should make it possible to prevent asphyxia by delivering fresh air to the air pocket. Company claims to achieve a prolongation of survival up to over 60 minutes, giving companion rescuers as well as professional rescue teams more time to get access to the victim. Technical tests conducted by the developing company already provided some promising results regarding the general functioning. However, this study is needed to provide the scientific evidence of the effectiveness and influence on physiologic parameters buried in snow debris humans under realistic conditions.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
26
The intervention consists in the test of the active device.
The intervention consists in a similar device to that emits same noise but does not deliver airflow.
Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research
Bolzano, Bz, Italy
RECRUITINGTime limit
Reaching a predefined time limit (min)
Time frame: From baseline up to 60 minutes
Physiological threshold
Time to reach a SpO2 threshold up to \<75% (min)
Time frame: From baseline up to 60 minutes
End-tidal CO2 (EtCO2)
Changes in EtCO2 (mmHg)
Time frame: Changes from baseline (measurement at 0 min) -> snow-breathing phase (5min, 15min, and timepoint immediately before interruption [up to 60 min) (countinuous monitoring)
Minute ventilation (VE)
Changes in VE (L/min)
Time frame: Changes from baseline (measurement at 0 min) -> snow-breathing phase (5min, 15min, and timepoint immediately before interruption [up to 60 min) (countinuous monitoring)
Cerebral Regional Oxygen Saturation (rSO2)
Changes in rSO2 (%)
Time frame: Changes from baseline (measurement at 0 min) -> snow-breathing phase (5min, 15min, and timepoint immediately before interruption [up to 60 min) (countinuous monitoring)
NASA-task load index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire (perceived workload)
Changes in NASA-task load index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire (numerical scale)
Time frame: Change from basal measurement (before hypoxia exposure) to post-exposure measurement (after hypoxia exposure - up to 60 min)
Reactive oxygen species - ROS
Changes in ROS in saliva samples (μmol/min)
Time frame: Change from basal measurement (before hypoxia exposure) to post-exposure measurement (after hypoxia exposure - up to 60 min)
Total antioxidant capacity - TAC
Changes in TAC in saliva samples (mM)
Time frame: Change from basal measurement (before hypoxia exposure) to post-exposure measurement (after hypoxia exposure - up to 60 min)
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