Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35564653›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2022

AvaLife-A New Multi-Disciplinary Approach Supported by Accident and Field Test Data to Optimize Survival Chances in Rescue and First Aid of Avalanche Patients.

Manuel Genswein, Darryl Macias, Scott McIntosh, Ingrid Reiweger, Audun Hetland, Peter Paal

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Emergency care for avalanche buried patients - a narrative review.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Manuel GensweinMountainSafety.info, 7260 Davos, Switzerland.
Darryl MaciasDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico, International Mountain Medicine Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
Scott McIntoshDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah Health, AirMed, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.
Ingrid ReiwegerInstitute of Mountain Risk Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria.
Audun HetlandCARE Center for Avalanche Research and Education, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9010 Tromsø, Norway.
Peter PaalDepartment of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, St. John of God Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, 5010 Salzburg, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-2939-4782
BOKU University · ATParacelsus Medical University · ATUiT The Arctic University of Norway · NOUniversity of New Mexico · USUniversity of Utah · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Snow sports in the backcountry have seen a steep increase in popularity, and therefore preparedness for efficient companion and organized rescue is important. While technical rescue skills are widely taught, there is a lack of knowledge regarding first aid for avalanche patients. The stressful and time-critical situation for first responders requires a rule-based decision support tool. AvaLife has been designed from scratch, applying mathematical and statistical approaches including Monte Carlo simulations. New analysis of retrospective data and large prospective field test datasets were used to develop evidence-based algorithms exclusively for the avalanche rescue environment. AvaLife differs from other algorithms as it is not just a general-purpose CPR algorithm which has been slightly adapted for the avalanche patient. The sequence of actions, inclusion of the ≥150 cm burial depth triage criterion, advice to limit CPR duration for normothermic patients to 6 min in case of multiple burials and shortage of resources, criteria for using recovered subjects as a resource in the ongoing rescue, the adapted definition of "injuries incompatible with life", reasoning behind the utmost importance of rescue breaths, as well as the updated BLS-iCPR algorithm make AvaLife useful in single and multiple burial rescue. AvaLife is available as a companion rescue basic life support (BLS) version for the recreational user and an advanced companion and organized rescue BLS version for guides, ski patrols and mountain rescuers. AvaLife allows seamless interoperability with advanced life support (ALS) qualified medical personnel arriving on site.

Indexed as

AvalanchesAccidentsAsphyxiaFirst AidHumansProspective StudiesRetrospective Studiesaccidentalasphyxiaavalanchebasic life supportcardiac arrestemergency medical serviceshypothermiamountain rescue

Identifiers

PMID35564653
PMCPMC9104102
OpenAlexW4224991358

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.