Stress Management Training Improves Overall Performance during Critical Simulated Situations: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: High-fidelity simulation improves participant learning through immersive participation in a stressful situation. Stress management training might help participants to improve performance. The hypothesis of this work was that Tactics to Optimize the Potential, a stress management program, could improve resident performance during simulation.

Normo or hypobaric hypoxic tests: propositions for the determination of the individual susceptibility to altitude illnesses.

Assessment of individual susceptibility to altitude illnesses and more particularly to acute mountain sickness (AMS) by means of tests performed in normobaric hypoxia (NH) or in hypobaric hypoxia (HH) is still debated. Eighteen subjects were submitted to HH and NH tests (PIO2=120 hPa, 30 min) before an expedition. Maximal and mean acute mountain sickness scores (AMSmax and mean) were determined using the self-report Lake Louise questionnaire scored daily.

Acclimation to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia modifies responses to cold at sea level.

Introduction: Residence at high altitude modifies thremoregulatory responses to cold stress upon return to lower altitude. These changes are difficult to explain since several stresses related to high altitude may interact, including hypoxia, cold, solar radiation, and physical exertion. We hypothesized that adaptation to hypoxia without cold exposure would produce at least part of the observed changes.

PREDICTOL: a computer program to determine the thermophysiological duration limited exposures in various climatic conditions.

PREDICTOL is a PC program used to determine the thermophysiological duration limited exposures (DLE) in humans, nude or clothed, submitted to various climatic conditions (hot and cold climates) at rest or during a physical exercise. DLE are determined following different standards of the International Standardization Organization (ISO), especially ISO 7933 for hot environment and ISO-TR 11079 for cold environment. The original aspect of this program is that it can be used whatever the climatic conditions.

Prevention of acute mountain sickness by low positive end-expiratory pressure in field conditions.

Objectives: This study evaluates the ability of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), a nonpharmacological method, to prevent the occurrence of acute mountain sickness during two ascents of Mount Blanc.

Methods: In a random order (once with PEEP and once without), PEEP was administered or not to eight subjects during two ascents of Mount Blanc. Scores for acute mountain sickness were quantified using the Lake Louise acute mountain sickness scoring system, and oxygen arterial blood saturation by pulse oxymetry (SpO2), heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were also measured.