High Altitude Pulmonary Edema Without Appropriate Action Progresses to Right Ventricular Strain: A Case Study.
Mills, Logan Harper, Chris Rozwadowski, Sophie
Mills, Logan
Harper, Chris
Rozwadowski, Sophie
Abstract
A 24-year-old male developed high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) after three ascents to 4061 m over 3 days, sleeping each night at 2735 m. He complained of exertional dyspnea, dry cough, chest pain, fever, nausea, vertigo, and a severe frontal headache. Inappropriate continuation of ascent despite symptoms led to functional impairment and forced a return to the valley, but dyspnea persisted in addition to new orthopnea. Hospital admission showed hypoxemia, resting tachycardia, and systemic hypertension. ECG revealed right ventricular strain and a chest X-ray revealed right lower zone infiltrates. This case demonstrates that HAPE can develop in previously unaffected individuals given certain precipitating factors, and that in the presence of HAPE, prolonged exposure to altitude with exercise (or exertion) does not confer acclimatization with protective adaptations and that rest and descent are the appropriate actions. The case additionally demonstrates well-characterized right ventricular involvement.
MIDER Authors
imray, chris
Citations
Altmetric:
Date
2016-08-30
Type
Article
Subject
Diseases & disorders of systemic, metabolic or environmental origin, Respiratory medicine
Collections
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Citation
High Alt Med Biol . 2016 Sep;17(3):228-232
Journal / Source Title
High Altitude Medicine & Biology
DOI
PMID
27575244
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert