Wilderness & environmental medicine
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Wilderness Environ Med · Jan 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialGinkgo biloba decreases acute mountain sickness in people ascending to high altitude at Ollagüe (3696 m) in northern Chile.
To determine the prophylactic effect of Ginkgo biloba (doses 80 mg/12 h, 24 h before high-altitude ascension and with continued treatment) in preventing acute mountain sickness (AMS) at 3696 m in participants without high-altitude experience. ⋯ This study provides evidence supporting the use of G biloba in the prevention of AMS, demonstrating that 24 hours of pretreatment with G biloba and subsequent maintenance during exposure to high altitude are sufficient to reduce the incidence of AMS in participants with no previous high-altitude experience.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Jan 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialPerformance characteristics of the second-generation remote emergency medical oxygen closed-circuit rebreather.
Closed-circuit oxygen rebreathers may provide high concentrations of oxygen at extremely low flow rates appropriate for field use with limited oxygen supplies. The performance of the preproduction, second-generation remote emergency medical oxygen (REMO(2)) system developed for Divers Alert Network was evaluated. ⋯ The second-generation REMO(2) was well tolerated by healthy subjects during 8-hour laboratory evaluation trials. The device provided high mean inspired oxygen fractions at low mean oxygen flow rates, relatively modest mean maximal inspired and expired pressures, and excellent scrubber canister duration. Further evaluation of field performance with a patient population is warranted.