medical decision support medical decision support
Sign In

Increased Susceptibility to Severe Acute Mountain Sickness Following Neck Injury

Description

A person who ascends to high altitude experiences hypoxia, which is detected by chemoreceptors in the carotid body and which results in hyperventilation. Damage to the carotid bodies may interfere with this hyperventilatory response and predispose a person to severe acute mountain sickness.


 

Neck injuries that may predispose to acute mountain sickness:

(1) neck irradiation

(2) neck dissection surgery

(3) carotid artery surgery

(4) removal of carotid body tumors

(5) blunt or penetrating trauma to neck

 

A person should be considered at risk if they have:

(1) A previous history of acute mountain sickness following the neck injury.

(2) An abnormal hypoxic-ventilatory response (HVR)

 

A patient at risk should be warned about acute mountain sickness. If the person decides to ascend anyway, provision should be made for emergency care and evacuation.

 


To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.

Specialty

ICD-10