We appreciate the interest and response to our article by Strapazzon et al. We agree that an air pocket during avalanche burial can reduce asphyxia and prolong survival in critically buried avalanche victims. We also agree that further investigation is needed regarding which properties of an air pocket are associated with survival. Specifically, the relationship between air pocket size and time to critical hypoxia, hypercapnia, and asphyxiation has not been established. In our study,1 an air pocket of approximately 200 L was created using an airbag with active deflation. This air pocket allowed the exchange and diffusion of inhaled and exhaled gases. This volume is larger than we would expect for a naturally occurring air pocket. Others have examined hypercapnia with air pockets ranging from zero to 4L,2–5 but to our knowledge no study has examined air pockets of moderate size. Strapazzon et al. also comment about the known diffusion of gases through the snow. A moderate size air pocket will increase the surface area available for gas diffusion. This larger surface area may also help slow the formation of an obstructive ice-mask result- ing from exhaled humidified air which may occur with smaller air pocket volumes ...
Language: en
", language="en", issn="0300-9572", doi="10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.03.015", url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.03.015" }