Open AccessChanges in corneal thickness in patients with high-altitude pulmonary edema after systemic oxygen therapy
Author(s) -
Sagarika Patyal,
Arun Kumar Yadav,
Atul Kotwal
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
indian journal of ophthalmology/indian journal of ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.542
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1998-3689
pISSN - 0301-4738
DOI - 10.4103/ijo.ijo_642_18
Subject(s) - medicine , effects of high altitude on humans , tachypnea , anesthesia , oxygen therapy , ophthalmology , surgery , tachycardia , anatomy
High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPO) is an acute medical emergency occurring typically in lowlanders, who ascend rapidly to heights of 3000 m or more. It presents with marked dyspnea on exertion, fatigue with minimal-to-moderate effort, prolonged recovery time, and dry cough with manifestations of cyanosis, tachycardia, tachypnea, and temperature which generally does not increase beyond 38.5°C. The condition may be fatal if not treated in time with supplemental oxygen or hyperbaric oxygen or rapid descent to lower altitude. There is paucity in literature on changes in corneal thickness in HAPO. The effect of continued oxygen therapy on corneal thickness has also not been studied in detail. Hence, this study was conducted at high altitude among physician-confirmed HAPO cases.