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Changes in the Carbon Dioxide Content in the Body During a Simulated Avalanche Burial With and Without the Use of a Breathing Tube System.

NCT06802744 · Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 10

Last updated 2025-01-31

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Every year, around 100 people die in avalanches in the Alps. Many of these accidents occur during winter sports. In most cases, the victims suffocate under the snow after the avalanche has come to a standstill. A key survival factor here is the time it takes to be rescued. If a buried victim is rescued within 15 minutes, the probability of survival is over 90%. After 35 minutes, however, this drops drastically to just 30%.

A modern avalanche rescue system, such as the AvaLung-device, could extend the survival time. The system directs the exhaled air via a tube to the back of the buried person so that no toxic CO2 concentrations build up in the available breathing cavity. It is also intended to prevent the formation of an "ice mask", which can impair the release of oxygen from the snow. This study investigates whether the AvaLung system can extend the survival time in the event of burial.

The aim is to test the effects of such a breathing tube system. The oxygen and carbon dioxide levels of the test subjects are measured while they are buried in a simulated avalanche - once with and once without the AvaLung system. In addition, it is investigated how long it takes before the buried subjects have to stop the examination, for example due to shortness of breath or deteriorating respiratory gases in the blood.

Test setup:

The test subjects lie on their backs with their heads and chests buried under snow. During the test phase, various parameters are continuously monitored, such as the breathing rate and the CO2 concentration in the blood. A comparative study is carried out: once with a functioning rescue system, and once with a manipulated (non-functioning) system.

Expected benefit:

The results of this study should contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of avalanche rescue systems and thus increase the chances of survival of avalanche victims in the future. This is particularly important today, as the number of winter sports enthusiasts and the number of avalanches triggered by them is constantly increasing.

Conditions

  • Avalanche Burial

Interventions

DEVICE

Addition of an artificial air-pocket device during simulated avalanche burial

In contrast to the control group, the subjects in this arm are provided with a functioning device that directs the exhaled air away from the area of the respiratory cavity.

DEVICE

Addition of a non-functioning artificial air-pocket device during simulated avalanche burial

In contrast to the intervention arm, the subjects in this arm are provided with a non-functioning artificial air-pocket device which does not redirect the exhaled air away from the breathing-cavity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Klinik fur Pneumologie und Schlafmedizin Kantonsspital Aarau

    lead INDUSTRY

Principal Investigators

  • Hans-Joachim Kabitz, Prof. Dr. med. · Klinik für Pneumologie und Schlafmedizin Kantonsspital Aarau

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-02-07
Primary Completion
2025-03-31
Completion
2025-03-31

Countries

  • Switzerland

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06802744 on ClinicalTrials.gov