Midnight Rescue
We thought it was a classic case of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema
(HAPE). On Saturday, a 41-year-old climber at 13,600 feet was
coughing up pink sputum, having trouble breathing, and his blood
oxygen saturation was 66. If he didn't get supplemental oxygen soon,
he would die. A mountaineering park ranger climbed down with bottled
oxygen to meet the climber, and a helicopter rescue was set into
motion.
"It sounds like he could have HAPE, so he should be brought down to
7,200 feet as soon as possible," said Dr.
Peter Hackett over
the radio to the Denali National Park rescue personnel monitoring
the airwaves. Daryl Miller, the South District Ranger, was on the
other end of the radio in Talkeetna, where a high-altitude rescue
helicopter called the Denali Lama is based.
The next step was to get the sick climber, who hailed from
Washington State, down to a flat site where the Lama could land,
pick him up, and fly him down to where we were, at Base Camp. There,
Dr. Hackett would assess his condition.
"On oxygen, his blood oxygen saturation is now at 92," crackled the
radio. For Hackett, this was a surprise, as a HAPE victim should
take longer to reach normal levels of oxygenation in the blood. A
measurement of 100 percent is normal for sea level, and 80s and low
90s are expected at higher elevations. When the percentage drops
below 70, supplemental oxygen or a rapid descent is essential for
survival.
We heard the Lama echoing in the mountains minutes before it
arrived, and although it was midnight, we could easily see the
Lama's approach to the snow-covered airstrip. Inside, pilot Jim Hood
maneuvered his craft with precision. It was a perfect night for a
rescue: the air was still with just a few light clouds hanging
listlessly against the surrounding peaks.
Hackett and Denali National Park Ranger Scott Metcalf helped the
climber out of the Lama. He stumbled forward, mostly from the force
of a gut-wrenching cough. Inside the Park Service's tent, Hackett
listened for signs of edema in the climber's lungs, but found none.
What had initially appeared to be HAPE now looked much more like a
bronchial complication caused by a mucus block, a problem that
occurs often at altitude. "If he had stayed up there, he would have
died," Hackett made clear. We could see the relief in the climber's
face.
The stricken climber left by another helicopter, a Pavehawk piloted
by the Alaska Air National Guard that would land at a hospital in
Anchorage. As they lifted off into the night, a life had been saved
and the air grew silent as we trudged back toward our tents with
Hackett lagging behind. But not for long.
"Another climber, a woman at 17,200 feet may have HAPE," he yelled
up to me, ducking into the Park Service's tent.
Location: Ski Hill Camp
Altitude: 7,800 feet
Air Temp: 36°F
Windspeed: 4 mph
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