Christine Ebert-Santos Publishes Altitude Health Book for Communities Above 9,000 Feet
Updated
Updated · Summit Daily · Jun 22
Christine Ebert-Santos Publishes Altitude Health Book for Communities Above 9,000 Feet
1 articles · Updated · Summit Daily · Jun 22
Summary
Earlier this year, Summit County physician Christine Ebert-Santos released “Surviving and Thriving at Altitude,” drawing on years of clinical experience and research on how high elevation affects health.
At her family-practice clinic above 9,000 feet in Frisco, she says even longtime mountain residents can develop high altitude pulmonary edema, a potentially fatal buildup of fluid in the lungs.
Travel can trigger that risk on return: Ebert-Santos says patients often come back from sea-level trips with a virus, then deteriorate in Summit County’s low-oxygen environment and sometimes need transport to Denver.
One case in the book describes a Colorado patient whose oxygen saturation fell to 54% after a trip to Vermont; he was later diagnosed with reentry high altitude pulmonary edema and treated with oxygen.
Ebert-Santos says such episodes are still rare, but travelers—especially those with prior altitude illness—should watch for cough, fatigue or shortness of breath and keep a pulse oximeter handy.