Curriculum description

Part A: Conducted in Kathmandu (10 days) as lectures, group discussion, clinical scenarios, and technical skill acquiring. It covers:

1. High altitude and related illnesses : an introduction to basics of high altitude atmosphere, human physiological changes and adaptation to high altitude, AMS/HAPE/HACE and their pathophysiology, recent advances in the treatment of altitude illnesses, traveling to altitude with medical comorbidities, high altitude cough, pilgrims at high altitude, women and children at high altitude
2. Practical traumatology : an introduction to the primary survey, shock assessment and management, trauma assessment and management, pain management in the wilderness, basic orthopedic procedures in the wilderness
3. Travel health : assessment prior to travel, vaccines and disease prevention, fever in the expedition, insect and animal bites, travelers diarrhea, antibiotics use in the expedition,
4. Mountain medicine : a basic introduction to skin problems at high altitude, eye problems in high altitude, GI physiology and nutrition/hydration at altitude, sleeping outdoors at altitude, doctor on high altitude trek/expedition, basic personal and group medical kit preparation, friction blisters and its management
5. Helicopter rescue : an introduction to helicopter basics, helicopter marshaling and finding appropriate landing sites in the wilderness, transporting patients into the helicopter, demonstrations of longline rescue techniques
6. Summer skills : basic rock climbing, belaying, rope knots and personal safety skills, rock anchors, rappelling, ascending victim lowering, rope rescue systems

Part B: Conducted in Manang and the Khangla glacier(5100m) in the Annapurna region(18 days) , as lectures, group discussion, and clinical scenarios and technical skills acquiring. It covers:

1. Environmental exposures : basic pathophysiology and management of hypothermia frostbite, and cold injuries, pathophysiology and management of hyperthermia and heat strokes, lightning injuries, drowning and submersion injuries, water sanitation and waste disposal in the expedition, basic introduction to avalanche and avalanche rescue
2. Weather in high altitude : basics of cloud formation, wind and rain mechanisms and weather predictions, survival skills in hostile and high altitude weather
3. Search and rescue : rescue organization, disaster preparedness, communication and media in the expedition, legal aspects in the expedition, search and rescue in an avalanche, victim extraction, map reading and navigation

Winter skills: crampons and ice axe use, rope knots and safely skills, roped team travel and glacier traverse, self-arrest and self-rescue techniques, improvised lowering techniques, ice and snow anchors, ice climbing, patient transport on snow/ice, self and team crevasse rescue