McIntosh Scott E, Grissom Colin K, Olivares Christopher R, Kim Han S, Tremper Bruce
Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.
Wilderness Environ Med. 2007 Winter;18(4):293-7. doi: 10.1580/07-WEME-OR-092R1.1.
Avalanches pose a life-threatening risk to participants of outdoor winter activities. Determining the causes of death in avalanche fatalities can aid rescue and resuscitation strategies and hopefully improve survival.
The study population included all avalanche fatalities in Utah from the 1989-90 to 2005-06 winter seasons. The Utah Avalanche Center and Medical Examiner records were reviewed to identify accident circumstances, autopsy findings, and causes of death.
Fifty-six avalanche deaths were identified during the study period. Most deaths occurred while participating in recreational backcountry activities; 85.7% of deaths were due to asphyxiation, 8.9% were due to a combination of asphyxiation and trauma, and 5.4% were due to trauma alone. Head injuries were frequent in those killed solely by trauma.
Most avalanche deaths in Utah result from asphyxia. Therefore, most victims are alive in the postavalanche period and have the potential for live recovery. Rescue strategies that employ rapid recovery as well as techniques that prolong survival while buried provide the best means of improving outcome.
雪崩对冬季户外活动参与者构成危及生命的风险。确定雪崩死亡原因有助于救援和复苏策略，有望提高生存率。
研究人群包括1989 - 90年至2005 - 06年冬季犹他州所有雪崩死亡案例。查阅犹他雪崩中心和法医记录，以确定事故情况、尸检结果和死亡原因。
研究期间共确定56例雪崩死亡案例。大多数死亡发生在参与偏远地区的娱乐活动时；85.7%的死亡是由于窒息，8.9%是由于窒息和创伤的组合，5.4%仅因创伤。仅因创伤死亡者头部受伤很常见。
犹他州大多数雪崩死亡是由窒息导致。因此，大多数受害者在雪崩后仍存活，有生还的可能。采用快速复苏以及在被掩埋时延长生存时间的技术的救援策略是改善结果的最佳方法。
