Robert Konrad Szymczak

Medical University of Gdansk | MUG · Department of Emergency Medicine

Dexamethasone is the primary treatment for moderate to severe acute mountain sickness and high-altitude cerebral edema. Vomiting or neurologically altered patients require intramuscular or intravenous administration, which requires medical training. Considering the use of the nasal route would expand the possibilities of using dexamethasone in diff...

Spinocerebellar ataxias are rare, genetically inherited diseases. Their typical symptoms include disturbances in gait, balance and uncoordinated movements, but these abnormalities, when appear at altitude, might also suggest high-altitude cerebral edema. We described the first clinical manifestation of spinocerebellar ataxia of a climber from Polan...

Background: Mountaineers must control and regulate their thermal comfort and heat balance to survive the rigors of high altitude environment. High altitudes feature low air pressure and temperatures, strong winds and intense solar radiation, key factors affecting an expedition’s success. All these climatic elements stress human heat balance and sur...

Visual sensations appear in most migraine auras, but binocular blindness is uncommon. We described a case of multiple transient losses of vision in a man on a winter expedition to K2. His symptoms were later diagnosed as recurrent visual auras without pain. Sojourns at altitude can induce migraine attack; therefore, susceptible individuals should a...

(1) Background: The influence of high altitude on an organism’s physiology depends on the length and the level of hypoxic exposure it experiences. This study aimed to determine the effect of a prolonged sojourn at very high altitudes (above 3500 m) on subsequent sea-level physical performance, body weight, body composition, and hematological parame...

Case Presentation A 30-year-old Polish woman noticed a sudden loss of visual field on her right side while at 4450 m on the eighth day of trekking around Annapurna in the Himalayas (Figure 1). Later came slight weakness of her right limbs and confusion with a moderate headache. That day she had climbed 1500 m in altitude and had drunk only 1 l of f...

Background Few data are available on mountaineers’ survival prospects in extreme weather above 8000 m (the Death Zone). We aimed to assess Death Zone weather extremes experienced in climbing-season ascents of Everest and K2, all winter ascents of 8000 m peaks (8K) in the Himalayas and Karakoram, environmental records of human survival, and weather...

(1) Background: Today’s elite alpinists target K2 and Everest in midwinter. This study aimed to asses and compare weather at the summits of both peaks in the climbing season (Everest, May; K2, July) and the midwinter season (January and February). (2) Methods: We assessed environmental conditions using the ERA5 dataset (1979–2019). Analyses examine...

Many species of microorganisms of various human pathogenicity have been identified in the oral cavities of dogs and cats. One of them is Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a Gram-negative bacterium of the Flavobacteriacae family, with unique abilities to forage sugars from host tissues and avoid the host immune response. Although C. canimorsus may be isola...

Dokładny plan logistyki akcji ratunkowej podczas różnych opcji ataku szczytowego na K2 w sezonie zimowym. Plan przygotowany dla wyprawy w sezonie 2017/2018.

Background: Many papers showed that long-lasting exposure to hypobaric hypoxia changed the metabolic cost of work and substrate contribution, elevating exercise energy expenditure and carbohydrates utilization. Only few of them have shown how long this adaptive changes are maintained. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of prolonged sojou...

Sleep pattern at high altitude has been studied, mainly with the use of polysomnography. This study aimed to analyze subjective sleep quality at high altitude using the following standardized scales: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS-8). Thirty-two members of 2 expeditions--28 males and 4 females (mean age...

Subjective sleep quality at high altitude.

Article presents data concerning physilogical parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation measured among 32 participants of trekking in Himalayas (altitudes 1300-6150).

Case report - two alpinists with high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) at 4362m due to prolonged, forced stay at that altitude.