This question once more brought up the topic of suspension trauma.
I tried to read up on the topic, but found that the Wikipedia page was not as informative as I would have liked. Especially I'm still unclear as to what exactly it is that leads to suspension trauma:
- Is it being unconscious while standing/hanging/... upright?
- Or is it the actual suspending (generally in some sort of harness) that somehow interferes with the blood flow in a way that will eventually harm you?
I guess I was wondering about this because the exact reason will also change how one should go about situation in which suspension trauma could become an issue. Were #1 above correct then one wouldn't have to be terribly concerned as long as the person was still conscious. In case #2 on the other hand we're basically racing a clock from the second somebody is suspended somewhere... However for #2 I guess the issue could be mitigated by special gear which prevents the circulation/suspension issues all-together?