Electrical Heart Activity Recorded During Prolonged Avalanche Burial

Abstract

A man in his midthirties triggered an avalanche at an elevation of 2750 m (9022 ft) while ski touring and sustained complete avalanche burial for 253 minutes before being located with an avalanche transceiver device, probed, and extricated by a rescue team. The burial depth (ie, depth of the head) was 30 cm (1 ft). The victim was in a supine position with a patent airway and a clearly visible air space in front of the mouth and nose with a size of 15×15×5 cm (0.5×0.5×0.2 ft) and frozen inner surface, which was not reported to the emergency physician on site. The victim had a Glasgow Coma Scale of 3 (E1V1M1), no vital signs, and no obvious traumatic fatal injuries. Extrication proceeded without reading the core body temperature or ECG. Because of severe weather conditions and the impending risk for the rescue team, the emergency physician withheld an on-site attempt of resuscitation. The victim was evacuated down to the valley by helicopter and declared dead. While the victim's body was being handled in the mortuary, it was revealed that the victim was equipped with a multifunction sport watch and transmitter chest belt. The recorded dataset included heart rate, …