OVERVIEW OF ANAPHYLAXIS Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that has life-endangering effects on the circulatory and respiratory systems. Anaphylaxis is an almost immediate, rapidly progressive multi-system allergic reaction to a foreign protein injected into the body by stinging and biting insects, snakes, and sea creatures or ingestion or inhalation of...
Compartment syndrome is a serious condition that involves increased pressure in a muscle compartment and can lead to muscle and nerve damage and problems with blood flow. It can be caused by fractures, crush injury, burns or other trauma or repetitive activities, such as running. Compartment syndrome is most common...
The Wilderness Medical Society released a position paper on frostbite (Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 22, 156–166. 2011). One of the points they made refers to the decision of “to thaw or not to thaw.” Partial or full thickness injuries are ideally thawed in a warm water bath at 99-102°F (37-39°C)....
How far must one fall to have a mechanism for spine injury? We don’t know. It depends on the height of the fall, how you land, the surface on which you land, your age and other factors. As a guideline, the WFA and WFR Scope of Practice documents incorporate mechanisms...
In the case of imbedded objects or penetrating eye injury, the common advice has always been to bandage both the injured AND the uninjured eye. The rationale was conjugate gaze; if one eye moves, so does the other (we can’t move each eye independently like chameleons). However, we now...
Squashing an artery to control severe bleeding (a.k.a. “pressure points”) is a difficult skill to perform and there is little evidence it helps; plus, what little evidence may be more lore than substance. Our bleeding control curriculum well-aimed direct pressure, elevation, and as a last resort, tourniquet. Pressure points...
The Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support and Tactical Combat Casualty Curriculum is now recommending taping chest wound seals on all 4 sides. The goal is to seal the hole completely and quickly. The concept of a one-way valve from a dressing taped on 3 sides doesn’t seem to work in the...