Table 2 Treatments for severe forms of altitude illness.

Manouevre/drug	Regimen	Comment
Descent	250 m often helpful	Essential, if possible
Dexamethasone	8 mg+4 mg every 6 h (iv, im, oral)	Often helpful in minutes, used primarily for brain oedema
Nifedipine	10 mg + 20 mg sustained release every 12 h	Mainly for pulmonary oedema
Oxygen	2–4 l/min by mask or cannula	Always helpful, calming
Portable chamber (figure 6)	2–4 psi for 2–3 h	Never truly portable/claustrophobia

im, intramuscular; iv, intravenous.