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Related Experiment Videos

Suspension trauma.

Caroline Lee1, Keith M Porter

  • 1Academic Department of Traumatology, Room 28, Institute of Research & Development, Birmingham Research Park, West Midlands, UK. drcarolinelee@hotmail.com

Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ
|March 27, 2007
PubMed
Summary
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Suspension trauma, or orthostatic shock while suspended, can cause loss of consciousness when motionless in a vertical position. Further medical research is needed to assess this risk with modern equipment.

Area of Science:

  • Physiology
  • Occupational Health

Background:

  • Suspension trauma, also known as harness-induced pathology or orthostatic shock while suspended, is a potentially fatal condition.
  • It occurs when a person is held motionless in a vertical position, leading to presyncope and loss of consciousness.
  • This phenomenon has been observed in personal fall protection experiments and linked to mountaineering fatalities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To raise awareness of suspension trauma within the medical community.
  • To highlight the need for more comprehensive medical research into suspension trauma.
  • To evaluate the practical risks associated with modern suspension equipment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature and experimental data on suspension trauma.
  • Discussion of implications for personal fall protection and accident scenarios.

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  • Proposal for future research using contemporary harnesses and healthy volunteers.

    • Main Results:

    • Suspension trauma is not widely recognized or understood by the medical profession.
    • Existing research is limited, and the risk may be underestimated.
    • The condition poses a potential risk in activities involving suspension, such as mountaineering.

    Conclusions:

    • Suspension trauma is a significant, yet under-recognized, physiological risk.
    • Further rigorous medical investigation is essential to quantify the risk accurately.
    • Modern research should focus on contemporary harnesses and volunteer studies to determine the real-world threat of suspension trauma.