Continuous positive airway pressure as adjunct treatment of acute altitude illness.

Altitude related illness occurs in unacclimatized individuals ascending to altitudes over 2500 m. Treatment usually involves descending to lower altitudes and pharmacological therapies. There are very few cases, studies, or recommendations regarding the use of positive pressure ventilation in acute mountain sickness (AMS) or high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). This case describes the use of CPAP as part of the treatment of a trekker diagnosed with AMS and HAPE in a remote location at 4200 m in Nepal.