ChallengeRopesCourse
Suspension syndrome: a scoping review and recommendations from the International Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine (ICAR MEDCOM)
There are very few studies done on Harness Hang Syndrome, Suspension Trauma, Suspension Syndrome. These are just some of the terms used to describe the unfortunate event when a climber is suspended in a harness for a long period of time causing him/her to pass out and even suffer a cardiac arrest.
We recently came across a study in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma which has done a first ever scoping review of this phenomenon. Here’s what we gleaned from it. To download the full document, visit https://sjtrem.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13049-023-01164-z .
It is indeed rare to find a study on suspension syndrome. As Challenge Ropes Course (CRC) practitioners, suspension syndrome has always been like the boogeyman that we always warned ourselves about. And yet it is also shrouded with mystery such that many of us don’t know how to protect ourselves from it. I remember seniors and instructors speaking vaguely about it, and most of it was from hearsay. And when i tried looking for research to corroborate the tales itself, i was also met with non-conclusive studies, and rightfully so because it is such a deadly topic.
What we can take away from this paper as CRC practitioners is the importance for sites to have a workable, and well drilled rescue plan. It also reminds us that its important to recognise the emergency and to get to the victim as soon as possible. And lastly, it reminds me that i need to keep my skills sharp so that i can get the victim down in a timely manner. Because it is so poorly understood, perhaps it is good to maintain a certain reverence for it like that boogeyman and continue to have a healthy respect for suspension syndrome so that we can never be caught off guard by it on the CRC.
