The Gamow Bag, is a portable altitude chamber used to treat victims of Altitude Illness. It was designed by Dr Igor Gamow, and was actually a by product in his search to produce at altitude chamber for athletes.
A patient suffering with altitude illness, such as HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) or HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) is placed in the bag, which is then pressurised with a foot pump, this simulates lowering the victim by a significant altitude by increasing the air pressure inside the chamber, and buys the patient time, until a helicopter rescue or other evacuation to lower altitude can be made.
This series of images is taken in the Everest Region of Nepal, at 4,200 metres in the small Himalayan village of Pheriche, where I’m working on behalf of the Himalayan Rescue Association. Next month I will be heading up to Everest Base Camp (EBC) to work alongside the team at Everest ER.
To see more images from Nepal, click through to my website here… or find me on twitter and Instagram
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