Ken Zafren, MD, FACEP

I am a residency-trained, board-certified Emergency Physician. I have practiced Emergency Medicine in Anchorage, Alaska since 1994 and am a Past-President of the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. I also hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California.

I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Wilderness Medical Society. I developed the teaching slide set program of the Society and was its first editor. I wrote the slide sets on High Altitude and on Frostbite and participated actively in the development of the Society’s Wilderness Medicine Guidelines. I currently chair the Conference Planning Committee and edit the “Images” section of the society’s journal, Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. I am the senior author of the chapter on “Environmental Conditions” in the Atlas of Emergency Medicine.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Zafren K, Hlastala MP. Gas exchange during acute hypoxia in dogs. Abstracts of the Third Banff International Hypoxia Symposium, 1983
Zafren K. More on tetracycline and ticks. New Engl J Med (308) 7: 403-404, 1983
Zafren K, Hackett P. High altitude medicine. Educational slide set. Wilderness Medical Society, 1992
Zafren K, Purcell T. Open and closed peritoneal lavage. Ann Emer Med (21) 10:1298, 1992
Zafren K, Purcell T. Base deficit as a diagnostic test for abdominal injury. Ann Emer Med (21) 11: 1406, 1992
Reeves J, Wagner J, Zafren K, et al. Seasonal variation in barometric pressure and temperature in Summit County: effect on altitude illness. In Sutton JR, Houston CS,Coates G (editors) Hypoxia and Molecular Medicine : 275-281, 1993
Zafren K, O'Malley J, Mills WJ. Frostbite and Other Cold Injuries. Educational slide set. Wilderness Medical Society, 1995
Zafren K, Reeves J, Schoene RB. Treatment of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema by bed rest and supplemental oxygen. Wilderness Environ Med 7 (2):127-132, 1996
Zafren K. Warning! Long commute. Science (272): 1726, 1996
Zafren K. Use and abuse. The Economist (Nov 30, 1996):8, 1996
Zafren K. Outcome assessments and air ambulance services. Lancet 347:1843, 1996
Forster H, Zafren K. Thoracostomy at the scene of an accident in the mountains. Guideline of the Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine (International Commission for Alpine Rescue), St. Jean, Switzerland, 1996
Forster H, Zafren K. Treatment of dislocations and fractures. Guideline of the Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine (International Commission for Alpine Rescue), St. Jean, Switzerland, 1996. Zafren K. Epidemiology of Himalayan trekking. Proceedings of the International Congress of Mountain Medicine, Interlaken, Switzerland: 23-25, 1997
Zafren K, Honigman B. High altitude medicine. Emer Med Clin N Amer (15) 1:191-222, 1997
Zafren K, Storrow AB, Schmidt JC, Stack LB. Environmental Conditions. In Knoop KJ, Stack LB, Storrow AB (editors) Atlas of Emergency Medicine. McGraw-Hill: New York, 451-480, 1997
Zafren K. Re: Prevention and management of cardiovascular events during travel. J Travel Med (4) 4:152, 1997
Forster H, Zafren K. State of art of surgical techniques in mountain rescue. Proceedings of the International Congress of Mountain Medicine, Interlaken, Switzerland: 34-36, 1997
Zafren K. Hyponatremia in a cold environment. Wilderness Environ Med 9 (1): 54-55, 1998
Zafren K. Telemedicine revisited. Ann Emer Med (31) 6: 790, 1998
Zafren K. Rescue on Ptarmigan Peak. Alaska Med (40) 2: 36-37, 1998
Zafren K. Migratory pain in appendicitis. Amer Jour Emer Med (16) 4: 437-438, 1998
Zafren K. Gamow bag for high-altitude cerebral oedema. Lancet 352: 325-326, 1998
Zafren K, Butler F. Wilderness medicine and military medicine. Wilderness Environ Med 9 (2): 62-63, 1998
Butler F, Zafren K (editors). Tactical management of wilderness casualties in special operations. Wilderness Environ Med9 (2): 64-117, 1998
Zafren, K. Scenario 9: altitude sickness. In Butler F, Zafren K (editors). Tactical management of wilderness casualties in special operations. Wilderness Environ Med 9 (2): 108-111, 1998
Zafren K. Tragedy on Ptarmigan Peak. Wilderness Environ Med 9 (3):188-190, 1998
Zafren K. Brown recluse spider bite. Wilderness Environ Med 9 (4) 211-212, 1998
Zafren K. Chilblains (pernio). Wilderness Environ Med 10 (1):25-6, 1999
Zafren K. Prognostic indicators in frostbite. Wilderness Environ Med10(2):115-6, 1999
Zafren K., Kercher E. Erythema nodosum. Wilderness Environ Med 10 (3):171-173, 1999
Zafren K. Response to safety of rescuers letter. Wilderness Environ Med 10(3):204-205, 1999
Zafren K. Lightning injuries. Wilderness Environ Med 10(4):253-255, 1999
Basnyat B, Savard GK, Zafren K Trends in the workload of the two high altitude aid posts in the Nepal Himalaya. J Travel Med 1999; 6:217-222, 1999
Zafren K. Short haul release assembly - “3-ring circus.” Wilderness Environ Med 11 (2):109-111, 2000 Zafren K. Unusual presentation of a fracture and possible early compartment syndrome. Wilderness Environ Med 11 (3):199-200, 2000 Zafren K. Understanding medical problems associated with high altitude. Emerg Med 32 (9): 90-98, 2000 Zafren K. Immersion injury. Wilderness Environ Med 11 (4):269-271, 2000 Zafren K. Poison oak dermatitis. Wilderness Environ Med 12(1):39-40, 2001