ULTRALIGHT HYPERBARIC CHAMBER

WE LIKE INNOVATION AND WELCOME DESIGNS AND INVENTIONS FROM ANYONE WHO SEES WHAT WE DO AS A PLACE TO TEST THEIR STUFF. HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING IS A FRONTIER OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT STILL WITH MUCH TO DO, AND ADVANCES IN ANYTHING THAT ALLOW US TO GO HIGHER WITH LESS WE HAVE TIME FOR.

THE RUBICON IN EXPEDITION CLIMBING IS ALWAYS ALTITUDE GAIN AND ACCLIMATION. SOME TIMES YOU GET IT RIGHT, SOMETIMES WRONG, AND SOMETIMES RESULTS ARE FORCED UPON YOU. WE INVEST A LOT OF ENERGY INTO REFINING OUR ACCLIMATION PROCESSES, OFTEN SKATING THE EDGE OF THRESHOLDS KNOWING WE CAN USUALLY RETREAT A LITTLE IF WE PUSH TOO FAR. PORTABLE HYPERBARIC CHAMBERS, SOMETIMES CALLED GAMMOW BAGS, GIVE CONFIDENCE THAT WE CAN ADDRESS SERIOUS PROBLEMS IF NEEDED, AND FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS ALL.

UNTIL NOW THESE CHAMBERS WERE SOMEWHAT INVOLVED. THE STANDARD GAMMOW BAG WEIGHS ABOUT 8kg, PACKS TO ABOUT 40L AND NEEDS A LOT OF PUMPING. THEY ARE PORTABLE, BUT NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE, AND FEEL LIKE SOMETHING THAT HADN’T EVOLVED MUCH SINCE THE 1970s. THESE DAYS THEY CAN BE RARE TO SEE, AND PROBABLY DON’T EXIST WHERE SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN IS USED. WHERE PRESENT THEY SIT IN A BOX SOMEWHERE IN THE MESS TENT, AND THE IDEA OF TAKING ONE UP ON A ROUTE NEVER ARISES WHEN A BOTTLE OF O OR A SHOT OF DEX IS SO MUCH EASIER.

ENTER MATT SCHOLES, AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAINEER AND DESIGNER, WHO WHILST THE HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING SCENE HAS BECOME SATURATED WITH SOLUTIONS BASED AROUND MEDICAL SUPPLEMENTS AND STEROIDS, HAS REFINED THE GAMMOW BAG CONCEPT FOR REAL ALPINE USE. MATT KNOWS WHAT GOES ON ON BIG HIMALAYAN TRIPS AND KNOWS WHAT THE LIMITING FACTORS ARE, AND CAME TO US TO FIT HIS PROTO INTO THE EQUATION. WE LIKE THIS KIND OF THING, AND MATTS HYPERBARIC CHAMBER ARRIVED FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND READY TO GO, ALREADY HAVING BEEN WORKED AND REWORKED TO BE EXPEDITION READY. THIS IS NO HAZY CONCEPT, BUT A CHAMBER WE COULD TAKE TO TIBET, COMING IN AT WHAT THEY CALL TRL7 BY THE DEFENCE/AEROSPACE INDUSTRY (PROTOTYPE DEMONSTRATED IN ACTUAL ENVIRONMENT).

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MATTS DEVICE IS IMPRESSIVE, WEIGHING IN AT UNDER 1000g AND PACKING TO ABOUT THE SIZE OF TWO NALGENES. WE COULDN’T FIT THE PUMP IT CAME WITH SO PICKED UP ONE IN TIBET, FINDING THAT PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING THAT JAMS INTO THE VALVE WORKS (WE USED A PUMP FOR POOL TOYS). THE MATERIAL IS ROBUST, WITH THE MAIN FEATURE BEING THE LARGE AIRTIGHT ZIP, THAT NO DOUBT FORMS A MAJOR ELEMENT IN THE ADVANCES IN FUNCTION AND WEIGHT. THE CHAMBER ALLOWS DIRECT VIEWING ON THE PATIENT VIA SERIES OF CLEAR POLYMER WINDOWS, AND THE WHOLE THING IS EASILY SIZED FOR SOMEONE UP TO 208CMS/6’10” IN DOWN CLOTHING (WE TESTED THIS).

IN ACTION

USING THE CHAMBER IS EASY; PUT SOMEONE IN AND INFLATE. WE TESTED THIS WITH SOMEONE SUFFERING VERY REAL AFFECTS OF GAINING TOO MUCH ALTITUDE TOO FAST ON A WAY UP TO HIGH CAMP, AND IT IS BASICALLY A TWO STEP PROCESS THAT BRINGS RESULTS WITHIN 15mins.

THE CHAMBERS LARGE AND DIAGONAL ZIP ENTRY MAKES ACCESS FAIRLY EASY AND BIVY BAG-LIKE. FOR A PATIENT NOT ABLE TO HELP THEMSELVES IT TAKES MANAGING, AND WE WONDER IF A 1/3 LENGTH ZIP DOWN ONE SIDE WOULD HELP. THE ZIP ITSELF IS EASY, AND ONCE IN YOU SIMPLY START PUMPING, AND EFFECTS CAN BE FELT AS SOON AS THE BAG REACHES FULL SHAPE.

OUR PATIENT WAS CONSCIOUS, AND ENETERED THE BAG WITH AN ALTIMETER WATCH, AND INCLUDING THE LAG OF THE WATCHES READ OUT, ALTITUDE/PRESSURE HAD BEEN DROPPED 1000m IN 15mins AND SYMPTOMS WERE EASED. AT THIS POINT THE CHAMBER FEELS TAUGHT, AND FURTHER PUMPING BOUGHT ALTITUDE/PRESSURE DOWN ANOTHER 500m BY WHICH TIME THE CHAMBER WAS DRUM-TIGHT AND THE WINDOWS WERE BULGING, BUT AT NO TIME DID THE ZIP AUDIBLY BLEED OR WERE THERE ANY SIGNS OF STRUCTURAL STRESS. THERE IS A LAG OF 4-5mins WITH ALTIMETER READOUTS WHICH ACTUALLY SEEMS TO ALIGN WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND BY 15mins THE PATIENT CLAIMED FEELING NORMAL AND CERTAINLY WAS MORE HAPPY. AT ALL TIMES THE PATIENT COULD BE EASILY SPOKEN WITH THROUGH THE MATERIAL.

THE CHAMBER DOES NEED MAINTAINING PRESSURE BY PUMPING, AS SHOWN BY THE ALTIMETER INSIDE, BUT IT IS AT AN EASY RATE THAT IS AHEAD OF THE CURVE OF ANY SYMPTOMS OF AMS. ONCE FEELING OK OUR PATIENT STAYED INSIDE FOR ABOUT 30mins (NOTE; TAKE FLUIDS, A PISS BOTTLE AND INSULATION IN WITH A CONSCIOUS PERSON), AND WHEN RELEASED STATED THE AMS SYMPTOMS DID NOT RECURR.

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WE DID THIS TEST IN MID-LEVEL ALTITUDES AND SUSPECT THAT WHEN HIGH (ABOVE 6500m) THE EFFECTS WOULD BE EXAGGERATED AS THE CHAMBERS THRESHOLD WOULD PARALLEL A MUCH GREATER DROP IN SIMULATED ALTITUDE. THE PROCESS IS EASY ENOUGH THAT IT COULD BE REPEATED AS NEEDED ANYWHERE THAT A LAYING BIVY COULD BE MADE. SLEEPING INSIDE SHOULD BE POSSIBLE, BUT THE BALLOONING SHAPE MEANS THE CHAMBER ROLLS SO NEEDS TO BE SECURED, AS THE PERSON INSIDE IS EFFECTIVELY HELPLESS.

TOWARDS THE 30min MARK THE WINDOWS STARTED TO FOG, SOMETHING EASILY CLEARED BY A CONSCIOUS PATIENT, AND WHEN ON AN INSULATED SURFACE THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE STAYS STABLE. TWO CLIMBERS COULD FEASIBLY FIT INSIDE IN EXTREMIS IF NORMAL HEIGHTS, AND ADDED MASS WOULD HELP REDUCE PUMPING. RELEASING THE PRESSURE IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF POPPING THE ZIP, AND THE CHAMBER DEFLATES AS RAPIDLY AS THE ZIP TAKES TO OPEN.

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IN SUMMARY MATTS HYPERBARIC CHAMBER IS FULLY FUCNTIONAL FOR WHAT IT IS DESIGNED TO DO, WHICH IS HALT SYMPTOMS OF AMS IN PLACES WELL ABOVE WHERE TRADITIONAL HYPERBARIC CHAMBERS COULD GO. IT STICKS TO THE ETHICS OF ALPINISM BY NOT NEEDING PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS OR SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN AS A SOLUTION, AND HAS HUGE EFFICACY FOR THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF ENERGY REQUIRED.

AS RECCOMENDATIONS WE’D LIKE TO SEE A FEW THINGS; A BRIGHT COLOUR; CLIP LOOPS TO SECURE IT; A SIDE ZIP POSSIBLY; MAYBE A VERSION IN DYNEEMA; AND A PEN HOLDER FOR PATIENT DATA (SERIOUSLY).

MATT HAS DONE A GOOD THING MAKING THIS A REALITY, AND THESE CHAMBERS SHOULD BE PART OF ANY HIGH ALTITUDE ASCENT TO REMOTE AREAS. WE ARE HAPPY TO FIELD ANY INQUIRIES. MATTS OWN ARTICLE WITH THE NZ ALPINE TEAM IS HERE.