The Suspension is Killing Me

Keywords: Suspension Trauma, Ropes, Hanging

The Story: Literally! "Hanging out" can kill you. Situations that force someone to stay upright without standing are very dangerous. People who use harnesses for recreation, work, rescue, or otherwise - take note! After being upright and sedentary, the blood begins to back up in the legs. This is because the heart can't suck the blood back up from the legs; it needs a bit of help from the one-way valves that are in the leg veins. In turn the one-way valves need muscle contractions to squeeze the blood up. Typically your body has a time honored tradition for occasions when there is not enough blood making it "upstairs", which is fainting. Fainting returns your body to horizontal, and making it easier for your heart to pump blood. If you're stuck upright, fainting doesn't work! Plan B is to pick one of two strategies - bring the thighs up into a sitting position, or get the legs moving (however, once you start moving them, you cannot stop!) Plan C is a slow death as blood pools in your legs instead of circulating to the heart. This process can start in as little as 3 minutes. Next time I have a student on a high hanging rappel, I will certainly keep this in mind. "Can I stop and look at the view" "Yes but kick your legs around!" ...or maybe: "Yes, the view is to die for!"

Additional Reading:
http://www.suspensiontrauma.info/

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