Mountaineering is a dangerous recreational activity with falls causing severe injuries
and deaths. Survival from falls longer than 100 m is uncommon. We present a case of
a high-altitude porter on Mount Everest who fell 400 m and survived. He slipped from
a ridge at 7000 m (22,900 ft). A rescue party found him above Camp 2 (6600 m, 21,600
ft) and arranged a helicopter rescue. The Everest ER medical team at Everest Base
Camp (5400 m, 17,700 ft) received the climber. They identified a head injury without
signs of other serious trauma. A doctor provided manual inline stabilization of the
cervical spine, airway support, and ventilation for the patient during the helicopter
and ground transport to a tertiary hospital in Kathmandu. The time from the fall to
definitive hospital care was 2.5 h. The hospital emergency team diagnosed an epidural
hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage without midline shift and right parietal, orbital,
and maxillary fractures. The neurosurgical team evacuated the intracranial bleed.
The patient spent 6 d in the hospital. He had a positive neurological outcome. He
had mild cognitive impairment and vision loss in his left eye but could perform activities
of daily living. He returned to physical work, but not to climbing. This case report
provides evidence that survival is possible after falls from extreme heights and sheds
light on the challenges of an evacuation from austere environments.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 12, 2022
Accepted:
June 27,
2022
Received in revised form:
May 30,
2022
Received:
March 26,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
