Item: Triage Strategies for Multiple Avalanche Burials – a Monte Carlo Simulation
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Title: Triage Strategies for Multiple Avalanche Burials – a Monte Carlo Simulation
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2016 Proceedings, Breckenridge, CO, USA
Authors:
- Ingrid Reiweger [ BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Institute of Mountain Risk Engineering, Vienna, Austria ] [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland ]
- Manuel Genswein [ Genswein Consulting & Training, Meilen, Switzerland ]
- Jürg Schweizer [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland ]
Date: 2016-10-02
Abstract: Settings with multiple avalanche burials and a limited number of rescuers require triage strategies, i.e. guidelines for rescuers as to where to devote their attention and actions. We here consider a scenario with one rescuer and two avalanche victims both requiring attention. The first avalanche victim has been found and excavated, is unconscious and needs resuscitation, while the second victim is still buried. What should you do? Resuscitate the first, or search for the second – who maybe is not deeply buried? Our aim is to find the optimal strategy which on average maximises the number of survivors without favouring either the first or second victim – according to the concept of the «greatest good for the greatest number». As avalanches statistics are insufficient to solve this optimization problem, we performed Monte Carlo simulations for calculating survival probabilities and average numbers of survivors. The Monte Carlo approach enables us to incorporate empirical, data based distributions of required variables, such as search time or burial depth. Our Monte Carlo simulation reveals new optimized values for the duration of resuscitation that differ from previous, mainly case-based assumptions.
Object ID: ISSW16_O12.03.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s):
Keywords: avalanche rescue, Monte Carlo simulation, triage, cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Page Number(s): 282-285
Subjects: avalanche rescue survival patterns avalanche simulation
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