Outdoor Medicine: Management of Wilderness Medical Emergencies (Adventure Skills Guides) - Softcover

Brighton M.D. FACS, Patrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591938511 ISBN 13: 9781591938514

Publisher: Adventure Publications, 2019

Synopsis

Manage hiking, camping, backpacking, and outdoor emergencies

There’s never a good place for a medical emergency, but some locations are much worse than others. If you are out in nature, far from help, when the unthinkable happens, you must be prepared. Outdoor Medicine is your handy, portable, easy-to-understand guide that helps you to follow the correct course of action. Whether it’s illness, injury, or life-or-death conditions, author Patrick Brighton, M.D., FACS, is there to lend his experience in assessing and managing backcountry emergencies. The author’s expertise―as a board-certified trauma surgeon and a mountaineer, climber, kayaker, and member of a mountain rescue team―has allowed him to develop concise descriptions of the diagnosis, treatment options, and evacuation strategies for several common medical emergencies.

This tabbed booklet is organized by type of injury, so you can quickly reference the information you need to evaluate and treat the condition. There’s no need to wade through time-consuming data that you won’t use. The easily digestible instructions help you to assess the situation and decide how to proceed, with tips on what to do and what not to do. The guide also takes into consideration the variable challenges you might face: limited resources, weather, victim/rescuer capabilities, and evacuation options.

With strategies based on the latest research from the American College of Surgeons, the American Heart Association, and Dr. Brighton’s decades of experience, you can be certain that you’re getting the best advice available. So get this pocket-sized guide to outdoor medicine, and hope that you never have to use it―but take comfort in knowing that it’s there if you do.

About this title

About the Author:

Patrick Brighton is a board-certified general and trauma surgeon. A Fellow in the American College of Surgeons for 23 years, he has evaluated and surgically managed thousands of critically injured trauma patients, including those from dozens of mass-casualty situations. An avid alpinist and ice climber, Dr. Brighton currently spends most of his free time as a member of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team in Ouray, Colorado. Dr. Brighton also teaches wilderness medicine courses in the U.S. and in South America.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

ANIMAL BITES

Animal bites and injuries represent unusual but potentially serious and even fatal events. Virtually all negative wild animal/human interactions result from inappropriate human behavior. Don’t approach, feed, or otherwise position yourself too closely to any wild animal. Typically, animals view humans as prey only if the animals are old, infirm, injured, or have been fed by humans in the past.

Rabies

Rabies is arguably the most important concern for wild animal bites. Coyotes, foxes, skunks, bats, and raccoons are the most frequent carriers of the rabies virus. Any bite from a wild animal should be considered a rabies transmission event until proven otherwise. Left untreated, rabies is essentially 100 percent fatal.

If possible, kill the animal that bit the victim, but only attempt this if it’s easy to overpower (such as a bat). It can then be tested for rabies. If the animal cannot be tested, the victim must receive rabies vaccinations immediately to prevent the full-blown expression of the disease. Field treatment of a bite or a scratch is to wash with clean water, direct pressure to stop bleeding, dress the wound with a clean dressing, and seek immediate medical care.

More serious bites, such as from a bear or a mountain lion, often result in significant blood loss and require immediate evacuation. Massive bleeding may require a tourniquet (page 28).

Bites and Stings from Dangerous Arachnids and Snakes

In the U.S., only two spiders―the black widow and the brown recluse―pose a threat to humans. Management includes a photo of the spider, elevation, ice, ibuprofen, and definitive medical care.

With few exceptions, venomous snakes in the U.S. belong to the pit viper family. Rattlesnakes, water moccasins (cottonmouth), and copperheads kill their prey by injecting venom through hollow fangs similar to hypodermic needles. Although rare, the amount of venom injected by a defensive bite may prove fatal to humans. Children are especially at risk due to their small size.

First, it is critical to identify the offending animal. A smartphone is the best way to do this. This evidence can be absolutely life-saving, as it can help doctors choose the correct antivenin to give in the emergency department.

For envenomations, some of the most critical points to consider are what not to do. Do not make a cut over the bite and try to suck out the poison. This does not work and may lead to serious injury and/or infection. Do not place a tourniquet; this provides absolutely no benefit, and the patient may well lose the extremity. Instead, limit the patient’s activity, elevate the affected part, and transport the victim immediately to the nearest hospital.

Anaphylactic Reactions

Severe, life-threatening allergic reactions are possible when bites or stings occur. They are typically the result of bee or wasp stings, but reactions to snakes, other animals, and even foods (such as peanuts) are possible too. If you suspect an anaphylactic reaction, administer an EpiPen and call 911. Instructions are printed on all EpiPen devices sold in the US, but basically expose the needle, jab sharply into the deltoid muscle or buttocks muscle, and push down the plunger until the syringe is empty.

About this edition

• Publisher: Adventure Publications
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1591938511
• ISBN 13: 9781591938514
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• Number of pages: 32