Years ago I saw a National Geographic type documentary about a group of Americans that traveled to China with the intention of being the first to raft the length of a famous river. Can't recall the name. The trip started high in the mountains and they were using some type of Zodiac style rafts. The group leader was a doctor and very well equipped to handle most medical emergencies.
During the course of the trip, one of the team members became ill with altitude sickness(?).
One of the things the doctor tried to do was to get him down the river to a lower altitude as quickly as possible along with giving him some type medications.
However, all of this was to no avail and they young man died. Since the group was miles and days away from any habitation, they buried him along side the river, filming their ceremony for the family. He was probably in his mid to late 20's.

Ever since seeing this documentary I have wondered if it might have been possible to save the young man by making a hyperbaric chamber from one of the rafts.
If cut properly with the ends rolled up once the indvidual was inside, providing the inflation points were positioned correctly, etc, I would think this makeshift chamber could have perhaps saved his life.
I realize that being inside a contraption like this is not the best of ideas, but I would like to believe that in this type of a life and death situation, it may have saved his life.
I have seen some type of units like this for mountain climbing on the market, made specifically for this type of illness, but at the time of this expedition, they were either not included or not yet invented.
So, my curiosity question for you medical types is, do you think this might have worked as a last resort?
I know there must be a lot of questions to be answered for any accuracy, but I have to believe it might have given him a fighting chance to survive.

What do you think?

I'm not a medical type but I'm an avid techincal scuba diver. I have come across portable hyperbaric chambers. If I have time I'll try to do a search an see if I can find a picture of one. If my memory serves me correct these chambers can be used for high altitude sickness. I've done a little mountaineering (nothing major and only a few times) and it would seem to me that a portable chamber would be at best marginally effective for someone with mild symptoms.

Also for diving related injuries pure O2 is really the only way you can help your body tissues to recover. So this type of chamber imo is almost useless.

Found a link

My understanding is that even a difference in altitude of a few hundred feet may make the difference for someone with altitude sickness, hence the urgent need to get them to a lower altitude as soon as symptoms appear. It would appear that, above 10,000 feet, a difference of air pressure of less than 1 psi would equate to an altitude change of over 1000 feet.

From 9000 feet to 10000 feet: 10.5 - 10.1 = .4 psi
From 10000 feet to 15000 feet: 10.1 - 8.29 = 1.81 psi

(http://www.sablesys.com/baro-altitude.html)

However, there is probably more to it than simply putting someone in an inflatable cylinder and pumping up the volume.

You may want to check out some of the information on these sites - Pete:

http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/
http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/AMS.html
http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/hyperbaric.html

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic22.htm

http://www.healthcyclopedia.com/wounds-and-injuries/altitude-sickness.html

http://www.utah.edu/umed/students/clubs/international/presentations/high.html

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/health/ams.htm

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html

Adam

"Also for diving related injuries pure O2 is really the only way you can help your body tissues to recover."

Amen to that, had need of a chamber myself not too long ago, following a dive accident. Spent several hours in one, very sobering as the alternatives were death or paralyses.

I do not believe they would come anywhere near viable for a diving related issue, as the pressure required for decompression would most likely be too great.

Thanks, Pete.
These were exactly what I had seen in an article on the subject.
I appreciate the links.