Dr. Jonathan Thompson dives into the fascinating world of high-altitude medicine, explaining how hypoxia affects the body and lead to conditions like acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). He highlights how hypoxia is a universal concept relevant to emergency and critical care medicine, and that understanding altitude illness can improve care for patients, whether you practice on a mountain or not!

Bio: Dr. Jonathan Thompson is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces and former U.S. Army Special Operations Mountaineering Instructor that taught in Colorado, Alaska, and Wyoming. He completed a Masters in Physiology at the University of Michigan with a thesis on nitrate supplementation in the prevention and treatment of acute high-altitude illnesses. He is an annual, returning guest lecturer (2020-present) at the University of Michigan’s Department of Physiology instructing undergraduate and graduate students on high-altitude physiology, pathophysiology of acute altitude illnesses, and relevant treatments.

Guest: Jonathan Thompson, MD, MS; Host: Kim Bambach, MD; Audio editor: Nick Roesel

Key Learning Points:

The Bottom Line:

The best treatment is descent, and everything else is a bridge. When you’re out adventuring, don’t forget to go slow to acclimatize!

Check out Dr. Thompson’s lecture for the World Extreme Medicine Organization here!

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