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High Altitude Pulmonary EdemaAka: HAPE

Epidemiology
1. Most common cause of death from high altitude illness
2. Onset after first day at altitude
Symptoms
1. Dyspnea at rest
2. Orthopnea
3. Pink or blood tinged Sputum
  1. Very late finding
Signs
1. Tachycardia
2. Tachypnea
3. Low-grade fever
4. Auscultate right middle lobe (right axilla)
  1. Anecdotal reports of HAPE onset in right middle lobe
Management
1. High flow Supplemental Oxygen
2. Descent
3. EPAP or PEEP pressure support
4. Consider Nifedipine
5. Consider Morphine if oxygen not available

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This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised before 5/10/08, prior to consistent tracking of revision date. This page was last published on 6/1/2008. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.