Survival After Being Wedged in a Crevasse for 16 Hours in Alaska

We present a case of an un-roped mountaineer who fell into a crevasse during descent from the summit of Denali (Mount McKinley). He was wedged about 20 m deep in the crevasse for a total of 16 h; this included 4.5 h waiting for a rescue team to arrive, and an 11.5 h extrication process. His condition deteriorated and he eventually lost consciousness. Even though the rescue team collectively felt there was little or no chance of survival, they continued until the victim was extricated from the crevasse. He was almost immediately placed in a hypothermia wrap with active warming, loaded on a rescue helicopter, and transported for 1 h 40 min to a hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska. During the flight, he was placed on supplemental oxygen. He was cold to the touch; respiration was detectable, but a pulse was not, and he was responsive to verbal stimuli. Initial bladder temperature in hospital was 26.1°C. He was released from hospital after 14 d and made a full recovery. This case highlights an important mix of preventative and resuscitative lessons regarding crevasse rescue in an isolated location. The lessons include the dangers of travelling un-roped on a crevassed glacier, the challenges of extrication from a confined space, the fact that respirations are often more easily detected than pulses, an extended transport time to medical facilities, and the necessity of trying unorthodox extrication methods. This case emphasized the need to continue extrication and treatment efforts for a cold patient even when survival with hypothermia seems impossible.