Published 11 December 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2654
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2654

Research

Christmas 2008: Sport

Mortality on Mount Everest, 1921-2006: descriptive study

¹ Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA, ² Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, ³ Heart Hospital, London, ⁴ Nuffield Department of Surgery, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, ⁵ Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Coventry, ⁶ Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Canada, ⁷ Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, ⁸ University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA, ⁹ Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Objective To examine patterns of mortality among climbers on Mount Everest over an 86 year period.

Design Descriptive study.

Setting Climbing expeditions to Mount Everest, 1921-2006.

Participants 14 138 mountaineers; 8030 climbers and 6108 sherpas.

Main outcome measure Circumstances of deaths.

Results The mortality rate among mountaineers above base camp was 1.3%. Deaths could be classified as involving trauma (objective hazards or falls, n=113), as non-traumatic (high altitude illness, hypothermia, or sudden death, n=52), or as a disappearance (body never found, n=27). During the spring climbing seasons from 1982 to 2006, 82.3% of deaths of climbers occurred during an attempt at reaching the summit. The death rate during all descents via standard routes was higher for climbers than for sherpas (2.7% (43/1585) v 0.4% (5/1231), P<0.001; all mountaineers 1.9%). Of 94 mountaineers who died after climbing above 8000 m, 53 (56%) died during descent from the summit, 16 (17%) after turning back, 9 (10%) during the ascent, 4 (5%) before leaving the final camp, and for 12 (13%) the stage of the summit bid was unknown. The median time to reach the summit via standard routes was earlier for survivors than for non-survivors (0900-0959 v 1300-1359, P<0.001). Profound fatigue (n=34), cognitive changes (n=21), and ataxia (n=12) were the commonest symptoms reported in non-survivors, whereas respiratory distress (n=5), headache (n=0), and nausea or vomiting (n=3) were rarely described.

Conclusions Debilitating symptoms consistent with high altitude cerebral oedema commonly present during descent from the summit of Mount Everest. Profound fatigue and late times in reaching the summit are early features associated with subsequent death.

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Windsor, J S, Firth, P G, Grocott, M P, Rodway, G W, Montgomery, H E (2009). Mountain mortality: a review of deaths that occur during recreational activities in the mountains. Postgrad. Med. J. 85: 316-321 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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