Together with Charles University and the Army of the Czech Republic we are investigating the probability of survival of people buried by an avalanche

For many years, the team of prof. Ing. Karel Roubík, Ph.D., from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, CTU (FBMI) has been studying respiration, gas exchange and the probability of survival of a person buried in avalanche snow. CTU The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University and the Czech Army also cooperate in the research.

The aim is to dispel some of the myths that circulate about this issue and that affect rescue procedures. In the past, we have been able to set the record straight about the importance of an air pocket in front of the airway of a buried person for his or her survival.

This week, the avalanche field research of Prof. Karel Roubik's team is taking place at Brádlerův boudy in the Krkonoše Mountains at an altitude of 1,162 metres above sea level. The aim of this year's research is to describe in detail the temporal and spatial propagation of respiratory gases in simulated avalanche snow. Determination of the diameter of the area from which a victim breathes under an avalanche, including its dependence on snow properties, is important for rescue and prediction of the probability of survival of a buried person.

A now-published research paper in the journal Scientific Reports describes perlite as a material that can replace snow in experiments aimed at studying gas exchange in buried persons. It will also make it possible to test avalanche protection equipment (e.g. snow snorkels and other breathing devices) easily, cheaply and all year round. However, research in the laboratory cannot substitute for some aspects of avalanche survival and therefore field research is essential.

Avalanche research is very important because up to 90% of people survive the first 15 minutes of being buried by a snow avalanche, but after that the chances of survival drop rapidly and less than one third of the victims are alive after another 15 minutes.

Colonel PhDr. Karel Sýkora, Ph.D., from the Department of Military Physical Education and the Department of Health Physical Education and Sports Medicine of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Medicine of the Charles University adds: “As a snow and ice movement instructor in the Czech Army for many years, I consider research on gas diffusion in snow to be important for further understanding of the phenomena that occur when victims are buried in an avalanche. The knowledge gained should thus contribute to the development of new protective equipment to increase the chances of survival under an avalanche.”

Ing. Ladislav Sieger, CSc. from the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, collaborates on the design of the experiment and processing of the results, within the framework of the CAAS MATE materials research. He says of the research, “We are investigating the propagation of gases during breathing into avalanche snow and then validating the results for use in replacement materials that will allow these experiments to be conducted year-round in laboratory conditions.”

The arcticle about the research was published in the Scientific Reports journal: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06015-y.