Post by pathwinder14 on Nov 26, 2012 17:08:56 GMT -7
Here is a basic rundown of human anatomy and first aid. Caveat! I am no longer an EMT. My info may be outdated. Consult a medical professional or attend medical training courses.
Off the top of my head:
-Basic First Aid:
Basic anatomy:
The body is made up of bones, muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, cartilage, tendons, and organs. There are 206 bones and over 600 muscles. Bones form the skeletal structure of the body and muscles are the pulleys that move it. They are attached to each other with tendons. Ligaments hold joints together like your wrist or knee. Cartilage often forms the ends of some bone structures like your nose or connective tissue between them like the ribs.
Bones do other things besides giving us structure. They produce new blood cells. We have 3 small bones in our ears that vibrate to allow us to hear. There are many bones in our body and knowing them is a good idea but not mandatory for survival.
Muscles do many things besides providing movement for our body. They allow us to breathe, keep our heat pumping, and let us swallow. There are two types of muscle, striated and smooth. Any muscle in our skeleton used for movement is a striated muscle. Our heart and esophagus are smooth muscle controlled by the brain. Our diaphragm has both smooth and striated muscle so we can elect to control our breathing or let our autonomic nervous system do it for us.
The human body is built amazingly well. Our organs do many things for us. Our eyes let us see, our ears let us hear, our nose smells, we think with our brains, and our kidneys filter our blood. The liver detoxifies the blood, synthesizes proteins, and generates bile for digestion. We breathe with our lungs. Our stomach and intestines digest food. Our large intestine absorbs water. Our pancreas secretes insulin to deal with sugar in the body. We have waste removal organs and reproductive organs.
Vital Signs:
The vital signs are pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and breathing. Vital signs vary from person to person. Each vital sign has its normal ranges for a person. Regular measuring of these can help diagnose early onset of things like hypothermia, heat issues, dehydration, disease, infection, etc.
Pulse is the speed and force with which the body is pumping blood. It is the combined force of the heart and arteries. Ideally you want to have a strong and regular pulse. There are several arteries/places to feel for pulse. Those are the temporal artery, carotid artery, brachial artery, radial artery, femoral Artery, popliteal artery, and dorsalis pedis artery. Weak, slow, and/or thready pulse could be signs and symptoms of something wrong.
Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure the blood creates as it passes the arterial walls. There is a maximum (systolic) and minimum (Diastolic) pressure exerted. This is always expressed as a fraction. Ideally in adults you want 90 - 120 over 60-80. If you show significantly less results, look for signs and symptoms of something wrong. Cardiac arrest will result in low/non-existent blood pressure. Higher numbers are usually signs of heart disease, hypertension, or other medical conditions.
Temperature is how the body maintains a homeostasis (balance) with itself and its environment. Normal human temperature is 98.6 F or 37 C. It is common to be a little above or below those numbers. Spikes in temperature are what to look for. Low temperatures are signs of hypothermia. High temperatures (fevers) are signs of infection, dehydration, or heat related issues. If a person is well hydrated and not suffering a heat related issue, a fever is the body’s way of fighting infection. Let the temperature rise until it gets in the 104 degree range. At that point it is considered life threatening. Immediately cool the person off by any means possible.
Breathing is how the body exchanges co2 for oxygen. We need oxygen so our cells an use glucose for fuel. Breathing rates vary greatly. Simply look at the rise and fall of a person’s chest over time (30 seconds) and record it. Look for drastic changes. These indicate problems. Are they over weight? Do they suffer from a pulmonary disease such as asthma, or C.O.P.D.? Are they choking?
First Responder:
When you happen upon a scene of someone injured you need to assess the scene. Is the scene safe? If not (falling rocks, loose ground, raging fire, etc. you need to look to your own safety because two injured people are worse than one. If the scene is safe, did you see what happened? Is the victim(s) alert? Can they tell you? If not, use A.V.P.U. (Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive) to gather the injured person(s) level of awareness. Are the awake and alert? Are they talking? If not, do they respond to verbal stimulation such as calling their name or yelling? If not, do they respond to pain such as pinching their under arm? If not, are they completely unresponsive (unconscious or worse)?
Assessment:
When you assess their level of Alertness you need to use S.A.M.P.L.E. What are their Signs and Symptoms? Do they have any Allergies? Do they take any Medication? What is their Past relevant history? What was their Last oral intake (food)? What events led up to this situation? If they are unconscious it will be harder to answer these questions. Look at them. You need to figure out who, what, when, where, why, and how the situation occurred. If they are unconscious and you did not see what happened, always assume head trauma has occurred. Don’t move them unless you have to. Look at them. Are they breathing? Is there any blood? Are there any wounds? Is their mouth clear? Now you start the ABC’s.
A: Airway. Do they have a clear airway? If not, you have to figure out why. Did they choke? Is their throat injured? Clear the airway first.
B: Breathing. If they have a clear airway are they breathing? If not, why? If they are not breathing heart failure will soon follow. You will need to perform rescue breathing.
C: Circulatory. Is their heart beating? If not, why? Are they bleeding? Did they have a heart attack? You may need to start chest compressions. Usually they are not breathing if their heart is not beating. You will most likely need to do both breathing and compressions as stated in a CPR course.
After these are taken care of you can attend to any visible wounds and try to stabilize them. Once you have the patient stabilized you may need to move them. There are several rescue carry’s you can utilize to move someone. Size does not really matter here. A 125 lb woman can carry a 250lb man as long as she knows how. You want to pick them up from behind allowing their legs to lock and carry the weight so they can stand balanced by your arm. Once you do that you want to get under them and carry them on your hips. If they have injuries that prevent this you can create a liter or a sledge to drag them with. If for some reason you have to drag someone (due to injuries or weight) never drag them by the legs as this will cause head injuries.
Medical Concerns:
Be aware of other’s medical needs if not alone. Make sure people have their meds. Ask anyone with you of they have any medical concerns such as Diabetes, Asthma, chronic illness, depression, etc. These health concerns will impact your planning and execution of survival.
Minor injuries and issues:
Deal with these as soon as possible. Attend to them when they’re small so they don’t become huge. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…literally.
Vomiting and diarrhea:
If these occur check for blood in them. It will look like dark red coffee grounds. Blood is a sign of an internal Gastro-Intestinal (GI) bleed. Is the person dizzy, have ringing in their ears, or confused? These are signs of possible trauma or chemical reactions. If they’re alert ask them what they recently ate. Check for fever and profuse sweating. These are signs of dehydration and or flu. Try to give them small sips of water. If they keep that down, try to give them more water and start giving small bits of food. The more they keep down the more they can have. Maintain their hydration. If they have diarrhea but no vomiting you can have them drink water. If they are vomiting but have no diarrhea you can give them a water enema as the large intestine is responsible for absorbing water into the body.
Cuts, punctures, and bleeding:
If someone has a cut and is bleeding, you need to assess what kind of bleed it is, how deep it is, and what caused it. There are 3 types of bleeds. Those are capillary, venous, and arterial. Capillary bleeds are characterized by bright red slowly oozing blood. These are the least serious of bleeds. Venous bleeds are characterized by a steady flow of dark red blood. These are a little more serious. Finally, arterial bleeds are characterized by pulsing squirting bright red blood. These are the most dangerous bleeds and usually the deepest. In any case apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding. If that fails, you can progress through elevation of extremity above heart, then to pressure point, and finally to application of a tourniquet. A tourniquet is a last resort. Never place a tourniquet on the neck. Keep the wound clean and bandaged after it has stopped bleeding. Change bandages frequently. Deep cuts may not stop bleeding. Depth of cut is important because you need to know if organs or arteries were damaged. Cause of wound is important because it will let you know if it was a clean cut by a sharp tool or a jagged cut by something dull.
If you are dealing with an impaling wound like a stick or knife assess the depth and type of puncture. Depending upon the object and its depth you may be able to remove it. Only try to remove shallow depth smooth objects. Anything deeper than 1 inch will most likely have penetrated organ matter or deep tissue into a muscle. Obscure objects like sticks may tear up tissue on the way out. Organ damage is the fear here. Many times a puncture wound doesn’t bleed as the foreign object is sealing the wound. If you decide not to or cannot remove it, try to immobilize the object. Place a large amount of gauze or cloth on either side. Then place a bandage with tie downs over it to keep it immobile. For punctures to an eye you need to immobilize/cover both eyes because they move in tandem and moving the damaged eye will cause more damage.
Breaks and dislocations:
Splint dislocations and broken bones in the position found. Immobilize the bones above and below a dislocated joint. Immobilize the joints above and below a broken bone. Splint fingers/toes together. Not all broken bones stick out of the skin. Compound fractures often do and carry the added worry of a fat embolism entering the blood stream or cutting an artery. Once splinted check the distal digits for circulation by blanching the nail beds.
Fever:
Fever is the body’s natural tool to fight infection. If someone has a fever let it go. The body is trying to “cook” the alien organisms. It the fever persists for several days you can try to reduce it by cooling the body and taking fever reducers like Tylenol if you have any.
Altitude sickness:
This is caused by the rapid ascension of elevation (i.e. climbing a mountain too fast). At higher altitudes there is less oxygen and the body has to fight for the air it was used to getting. The signs and symptoms are dizziness, nausea, heavy or labored breathing. It can progress into worse issues such as edema. Anyone can be at risk. If you were fine last time you were in the mountains you may not be fine this time. It is a random problem many hikers and climbers encounter. The best prevention is to slowly ascend elevation to allow time for your body to adjust. If you start feeling many or heavy symptoms you need to descend a.s.a.p. This is one of the few times where hyperventilation can actually help. Drinking extra water may help as well. Learning to breathe properly can go a long way to prevent this as well.
Head injuries:
Concussion is the result of serious head injury. People with a concussion may react normally immediately after the injury but the swelling may continue. Check their pupils with a flashlight for immediate and even dilation. If they become nauseous for no reason, get a severe headache, or start vomiting, keep them awake and monitor them. DO not let them sleep. If they do they can develop subdural hematoma. This is a bruise on the brain and is characterized by large amounts of uncontrolled swelling. Get them to the EMS as soon as possible. Most likely their skull will need to be drilled into to let off the pressure.
Basal skull fractures also occur with some serious head injuries. If you see blood coming out of the ear, collect some with a piece of gauze or cotton. If you see a shiny halo effect around the blood it means cerebrospinal fluid is leaking from the skull due to fracture. Since gravity pulls everything down the fluid leaks from the base of the skull.
Cervical spinal injury occurs whenever the head is snapped back quickly. This can sever the spinal column and paralyze the person.
Fire and burns:
Remember your stop, drop, and roll. There are 3 kinds of burns, 1st, second, and 3rd degree. They can be caused by chemicals, and heat. A sun burn is a 1st degree burn. Fire will cause 1st -3rd degree burns depending upon intensity. A second degree burn is characterized by severely painful blisters. A 3rd degree burn is a charred area surrounded by a 2nd degree burn. 2nd burns are the most painful because 3rd degree burns no longer have any nerve endings to feel pain. If you are working with grease and suffer a grease burn the best way to stop the burning is to cover the burn with powder like dirt or flour. Then remove it. It will soak up the grease. Rinsing it with water takes longer to stop the burning because water will not remove it as quickly. Water and oil (grease) don’t mix. Care of burns is tedious. Clean out any necrotic tissue and place slightly damp bandages on regularly. Burns to mouth can burn the lungs. Burns to the groin can prevent urination or defecation and can cause kidney failure because of it.
Bites, Stings, and poisons:
Most poisonous snakes in north America are pit vipers. Their poison is hemotoxic. Their venom destroys the blood. If you get bit, you need to sit down and relax. If you get hysterical and run around you force your body to spread the poison. Mature snakes only use poison if they need to. Quite often they deliver dry bites. The real danger with larger pit vipers is that the strike force is so powerful they can and do break bones. Juvenile pit vipers are the real danger. They have less control and will pump all their poison in one bite. Quite often the dosage of poison these snakes deliver is non-lethal. This is simply because they mostly eat small rodents and do not take down prey that is larger than themselves. The only snake in North America that is more dangerous is the coral snake of Florida.
The dangerous thing about bee stings (Wasps and hornets too) is the percentage of people allergic to them. Their sting can cause anaphylactic shock and constrict the airway. Epi pens found in Bee Sting kits are really the only recourse.
Poisons are a problem because of how they work with the body. The poisons you will encounter in the woods beyond snake venom are going to be pharmacological (plant and/or drug based). Many poisons need to be digested to harm us. Absorbing that poison as fast as possible is the key to survivability. Activated charcoal is the ideal method for binding the poison and preventing absorption by the GI tract. Do not induce vomiting. Many poisons can destroy the esophagus on the way out. If you do not have activated charcoal you can use powdered coal from your fire (not the grey ash as it contains lye, a caustic chemical).
Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac, and Poison Oak are rash creating plants. Unless you have an allergic reaction to them, keep infected areas dry and covered. Avoid scratching as your nails collect the oils from the rash and spread it to other body areas you touch. A small mud pack (made from clay, not dirt) placed on them for about an hour can induce drying of the rash. Beware what you use for firewood. Inhaled poison ivy, sumac, or oak smoke can cause the rash to develop on the inside of the lungs.
Parasites:
Ticks and mosquitoes are our main concern. Look yourself over regularly for any parasites and remove as needed. You can suffocate ticks, burn them with a blown out match, or use rubbing alcohol to poison them. Once they start to move, use tweezers to remove them. You have to remove the whole parasite as the head can cause Lyme disease if it’s a deer tick. There are many natural insect repellants in the wilderness. Mud is a common one as it creates a thick barrier once it dries that they cannot get through.
Shock - Anaphylactic, Septic, and circulatory.:
Anaphylactic shock is an extreme allergic reaction or reaction to a foreign substance like poison. The airway closes up, circulation becomes erratic, a rash may develop. The number 1 method of treatment is epinephrine. Always carry a bee sting kit as they contain auto injectors called epi-pens. Though you may not be extremely allergic to something now, allergies can develop throughout our lifetime.
Septic shock is the body’s reaction to kidney failure. This is important when we consider burns as discussed earlier. It is also important when we discuss poisons or punctures. Unattended bladder infections can lead to renal failure. Signs of this are lack or urination. Dark painful urination with some blood in it may appear. Rapid breathing, high pulse, and a fever develop. Get to EMS services as fast as possible.
Circulatory shock is the body’s response to loss of blood. Extremities will get cold. Body temperature will drop. Breathing will become weak and erratic. Heart beat will become erratic. Stop the bleeding as fast as possible. Lay the person down and elevate the legs and arms above the heart. This will cause blood to stay in the areas near the organs to keep the life support of the body going. Get to EMS services as fast as possible.
Choking:
When something is lodged in the trachea the body begins to cough to get the foreign object out. As long as someone is breathing do not attempt any back blows or Heimlich. This can actually lodge the object further. Let them try to cough the object out on their own. Once they stop getting any air then you need to perform the Heimlich. If they pass out while trying you will need to lay them down and start stomach compressions. These are not the chest compressions in CPR. You are literally pushing on the abdomen in an attempt to force any air to pop the object out. Take into consideration the victim’s body size and push accordingly. After every five compressions, check their mouth for signs of the object. If you see it, lodge the mouth open with your wallet so they don’t bite your finger as you try to get the object with your finger. Never use a tool that can be dropped or cause more damage to retrieve the object. You can perform the Heimlich on yourself by using the back of a chair, tall board, log, shovel handle, etc.
Off the top of my head:
-Basic First Aid:
Basic anatomy:
The body is made up of bones, muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, cartilage, tendons, and organs. There are 206 bones and over 600 muscles. Bones form the skeletal structure of the body and muscles are the pulleys that move it. They are attached to each other with tendons. Ligaments hold joints together like your wrist or knee. Cartilage often forms the ends of some bone structures like your nose or connective tissue between them like the ribs.
Bones do other things besides giving us structure. They produce new blood cells. We have 3 small bones in our ears that vibrate to allow us to hear. There are many bones in our body and knowing them is a good idea but not mandatory for survival.
Muscles do many things besides providing movement for our body. They allow us to breathe, keep our heat pumping, and let us swallow. There are two types of muscle, striated and smooth. Any muscle in our skeleton used for movement is a striated muscle. Our heart and esophagus are smooth muscle controlled by the brain. Our diaphragm has both smooth and striated muscle so we can elect to control our breathing or let our autonomic nervous system do it for us.
The human body is built amazingly well. Our organs do many things for us. Our eyes let us see, our ears let us hear, our nose smells, we think with our brains, and our kidneys filter our blood. The liver detoxifies the blood, synthesizes proteins, and generates bile for digestion. We breathe with our lungs. Our stomach and intestines digest food. Our large intestine absorbs water. Our pancreas secretes insulin to deal with sugar in the body. We have waste removal organs and reproductive organs.
Vital Signs:
The vital signs are pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and breathing. Vital signs vary from person to person. Each vital sign has its normal ranges for a person. Regular measuring of these can help diagnose early onset of things like hypothermia, heat issues, dehydration, disease, infection, etc.
Pulse is the speed and force with which the body is pumping blood. It is the combined force of the heart and arteries. Ideally you want to have a strong and regular pulse. There are several arteries/places to feel for pulse. Those are the temporal artery, carotid artery, brachial artery, radial artery, femoral Artery, popliteal artery, and dorsalis pedis artery. Weak, slow, and/or thready pulse could be signs and symptoms of something wrong.
Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure the blood creates as it passes the arterial walls. There is a maximum (systolic) and minimum (Diastolic) pressure exerted. This is always expressed as a fraction. Ideally in adults you want 90 - 120 over 60-80. If you show significantly less results, look for signs and symptoms of something wrong. Cardiac arrest will result in low/non-existent blood pressure. Higher numbers are usually signs of heart disease, hypertension, or other medical conditions.
Temperature is how the body maintains a homeostasis (balance) with itself and its environment. Normal human temperature is 98.6 F or 37 C. It is common to be a little above or below those numbers. Spikes in temperature are what to look for. Low temperatures are signs of hypothermia. High temperatures (fevers) are signs of infection, dehydration, or heat related issues. If a person is well hydrated and not suffering a heat related issue, a fever is the body’s way of fighting infection. Let the temperature rise until it gets in the 104 degree range. At that point it is considered life threatening. Immediately cool the person off by any means possible.
Breathing is how the body exchanges co2 for oxygen. We need oxygen so our cells an use glucose for fuel. Breathing rates vary greatly. Simply look at the rise and fall of a person’s chest over time (30 seconds) and record it. Look for drastic changes. These indicate problems. Are they over weight? Do they suffer from a pulmonary disease such as asthma, or C.O.P.D.? Are they choking?
First Responder:
When you happen upon a scene of someone injured you need to assess the scene. Is the scene safe? If not (falling rocks, loose ground, raging fire, etc. you need to look to your own safety because two injured people are worse than one. If the scene is safe, did you see what happened? Is the victim(s) alert? Can they tell you? If not, use A.V.P.U. (Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive) to gather the injured person(s) level of awareness. Are the awake and alert? Are they talking? If not, do they respond to verbal stimulation such as calling their name or yelling? If not, do they respond to pain such as pinching their under arm? If not, are they completely unresponsive (unconscious or worse)?
Assessment:
When you assess their level of Alertness you need to use S.A.M.P.L.E. What are their Signs and Symptoms? Do they have any Allergies? Do they take any Medication? What is their Past relevant history? What was their Last oral intake (food)? What events led up to this situation? If they are unconscious it will be harder to answer these questions. Look at them. You need to figure out who, what, when, where, why, and how the situation occurred. If they are unconscious and you did not see what happened, always assume head trauma has occurred. Don’t move them unless you have to. Look at them. Are they breathing? Is there any blood? Are there any wounds? Is their mouth clear? Now you start the ABC’s.
A: Airway. Do they have a clear airway? If not, you have to figure out why. Did they choke? Is their throat injured? Clear the airway first.
B: Breathing. If they have a clear airway are they breathing? If not, why? If they are not breathing heart failure will soon follow. You will need to perform rescue breathing.
C: Circulatory. Is their heart beating? If not, why? Are they bleeding? Did they have a heart attack? You may need to start chest compressions. Usually they are not breathing if their heart is not beating. You will most likely need to do both breathing and compressions as stated in a CPR course.
After these are taken care of you can attend to any visible wounds and try to stabilize them. Once you have the patient stabilized you may need to move them. There are several rescue carry’s you can utilize to move someone. Size does not really matter here. A 125 lb woman can carry a 250lb man as long as she knows how. You want to pick them up from behind allowing their legs to lock and carry the weight so they can stand balanced by your arm. Once you do that you want to get under them and carry them on your hips. If they have injuries that prevent this you can create a liter or a sledge to drag them with. If for some reason you have to drag someone (due to injuries or weight) never drag them by the legs as this will cause head injuries.
Medical Concerns:
Be aware of other’s medical needs if not alone. Make sure people have their meds. Ask anyone with you of they have any medical concerns such as Diabetes, Asthma, chronic illness, depression, etc. These health concerns will impact your planning and execution of survival.
Minor injuries and issues:
Deal with these as soon as possible. Attend to them when they’re small so they don’t become huge. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…literally.
Vomiting and diarrhea:
If these occur check for blood in them. It will look like dark red coffee grounds. Blood is a sign of an internal Gastro-Intestinal (GI) bleed. Is the person dizzy, have ringing in their ears, or confused? These are signs of possible trauma or chemical reactions. If they’re alert ask them what they recently ate. Check for fever and profuse sweating. These are signs of dehydration and or flu. Try to give them small sips of water. If they keep that down, try to give them more water and start giving small bits of food. The more they keep down the more they can have. Maintain their hydration. If they have diarrhea but no vomiting you can have them drink water. If they are vomiting but have no diarrhea you can give them a water enema as the large intestine is responsible for absorbing water into the body.
Cuts, punctures, and bleeding:
If someone has a cut and is bleeding, you need to assess what kind of bleed it is, how deep it is, and what caused it. There are 3 types of bleeds. Those are capillary, venous, and arterial. Capillary bleeds are characterized by bright red slowly oozing blood. These are the least serious of bleeds. Venous bleeds are characterized by a steady flow of dark red blood. These are a little more serious. Finally, arterial bleeds are characterized by pulsing squirting bright red blood. These are the most dangerous bleeds and usually the deepest. In any case apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding. If that fails, you can progress through elevation of extremity above heart, then to pressure point, and finally to application of a tourniquet. A tourniquet is a last resort. Never place a tourniquet on the neck. Keep the wound clean and bandaged after it has stopped bleeding. Change bandages frequently. Deep cuts may not stop bleeding. Depth of cut is important because you need to know if organs or arteries were damaged. Cause of wound is important because it will let you know if it was a clean cut by a sharp tool or a jagged cut by something dull.
If you are dealing with an impaling wound like a stick or knife assess the depth and type of puncture. Depending upon the object and its depth you may be able to remove it. Only try to remove shallow depth smooth objects. Anything deeper than 1 inch will most likely have penetrated organ matter or deep tissue into a muscle. Obscure objects like sticks may tear up tissue on the way out. Organ damage is the fear here. Many times a puncture wound doesn’t bleed as the foreign object is sealing the wound. If you decide not to or cannot remove it, try to immobilize the object. Place a large amount of gauze or cloth on either side. Then place a bandage with tie downs over it to keep it immobile. For punctures to an eye you need to immobilize/cover both eyes because they move in tandem and moving the damaged eye will cause more damage.
Breaks and dislocations:
Splint dislocations and broken bones in the position found. Immobilize the bones above and below a dislocated joint. Immobilize the joints above and below a broken bone. Splint fingers/toes together. Not all broken bones stick out of the skin. Compound fractures often do and carry the added worry of a fat embolism entering the blood stream or cutting an artery. Once splinted check the distal digits for circulation by blanching the nail beds.
Fever:
Fever is the body’s natural tool to fight infection. If someone has a fever let it go. The body is trying to “cook” the alien organisms. It the fever persists for several days you can try to reduce it by cooling the body and taking fever reducers like Tylenol if you have any.
Altitude sickness:
This is caused by the rapid ascension of elevation (i.e. climbing a mountain too fast). At higher altitudes there is less oxygen and the body has to fight for the air it was used to getting. The signs and symptoms are dizziness, nausea, heavy or labored breathing. It can progress into worse issues such as edema. Anyone can be at risk. If you were fine last time you were in the mountains you may not be fine this time. It is a random problem many hikers and climbers encounter. The best prevention is to slowly ascend elevation to allow time for your body to adjust. If you start feeling many or heavy symptoms you need to descend a.s.a.p. This is one of the few times where hyperventilation can actually help. Drinking extra water may help as well. Learning to breathe properly can go a long way to prevent this as well.
Head injuries:
Concussion is the result of serious head injury. People with a concussion may react normally immediately after the injury but the swelling may continue. Check their pupils with a flashlight for immediate and even dilation. If they become nauseous for no reason, get a severe headache, or start vomiting, keep them awake and monitor them. DO not let them sleep. If they do they can develop subdural hematoma. This is a bruise on the brain and is characterized by large amounts of uncontrolled swelling. Get them to the EMS as soon as possible. Most likely their skull will need to be drilled into to let off the pressure.
Basal skull fractures also occur with some serious head injuries. If you see blood coming out of the ear, collect some with a piece of gauze or cotton. If you see a shiny halo effect around the blood it means cerebrospinal fluid is leaking from the skull due to fracture. Since gravity pulls everything down the fluid leaks from the base of the skull.
Cervical spinal injury occurs whenever the head is snapped back quickly. This can sever the spinal column and paralyze the person.
Fire and burns:
Remember your stop, drop, and roll. There are 3 kinds of burns, 1st, second, and 3rd degree. They can be caused by chemicals, and heat. A sun burn is a 1st degree burn. Fire will cause 1st -3rd degree burns depending upon intensity. A second degree burn is characterized by severely painful blisters. A 3rd degree burn is a charred area surrounded by a 2nd degree burn. 2nd burns are the most painful because 3rd degree burns no longer have any nerve endings to feel pain. If you are working with grease and suffer a grease burn the best way to stop the burning is to cover the burn with powder like dirt or flour. Then remove it. It will soak up the grease. Rinsing it with water takes longer to stop the burning because water will not remove it as quickly. Water and oil (grease) don’t mix. Care of burns is tedious. Clean out any necrotic tissue and place slightly damp bandages on regularly. Burns to mouth can burn the lungs. Burns to the groin can prevent urination or defecation and can cause kidney failure because of it.
Bites, Stings, and poisons:
Most poisonous snakes in north America are pit vipers. Their poison is hemotoxic. Their venom destroys the blood. If you get bit, you need to sit down and relax. If you get hysterical and run around you force your body to spread the poison. Mature snakes only use poison if they need to. Quite often they deliver dry bites. The real danger with larger pit vipers is that the strike force is so powerful they can and do break bones. Juvenile pit vipers are the real danger. They have less control and will pump all their poison in one bite. Quite often the dosage of poison these snakes deliver is non-lethal. This is simply because they mostly eat small rodents and do not take down prey that is larger than themselves. The only snake in North America that is more dangerous is the coral snake of Florida.
The dangerous thing about bee stings (Wasps and hornets too) is the percentage of people allergic to them. Their sting can cause anaphylactic shock and constrict the airway. Epi pens found in Bee Sting kits are really the only recourse.
Poisons are a problem because of how they work with the body. The poisons you will encounter in the woods beyond snake venom are going to be pharmacological (plant and/or drug based). Many poisons need to be digested to harm us. Absorbing that poison as fast as possible is the key to survivability. Activated charcoal is the ideal method for binding the poison and preventing absorption by the GI tract. Do not induce vomiting. Many poisons can destroy the esophagus on the way out. If you do not have activated charcoal you can use powdered coal from your fire (not the grey ash as it contains lye, a caustic chemical).
Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac, and Poison Oak are rash creating plants. Unless you have an allergic reaction to them, keep infected areas dry and covered. Avoid scratching as your nails collect the oils from the rash and spread it to other body areas you touch. A small mud pack (made from clay, not dirt) placed on them for about an hour can induce drying of the rash. Beware what you use for firewood. Inhaled poison ivy, sumac, or oak smoke can cause the rash to develop on the inside of the lungs.
Parasites:
Ticks and mosquitoes are our main concern. Look yourself over regularly for any parasites and remove as needed. You can suffocate ticks, burn them with a blown out match, or use rubbing alcohol to poison them. Once they start to move, use tweezers to remove them. You have to remove the whole parasite as the head can cause Lyme disease if it’s a deer tick. There are many natural insect repellants in the wilderness. Mud is a common one as it creates a thick barrier once it dries that they cannot get through.
Shock - Anaphylactic, Septic, and circulatory.:
Anaphylactic shock is an extreme allergic reaction or reaction to a foreign substance like poison. The airway closes up, circulation becomes erratic, a rash may develop. The number 1 method of treatment is epinephrine. Always carry a bee sting kit as they contain auto injectors called epi-pens. Though you may not be extremely allergic to something now, allergies can develop throughout our lifetime.
Septic shock is the body’s reaction to kidney failure. This is important when we consider burns as discussed earlier. It is also important when we discuss poisons or punctures. Unattended bladder infections can lead to renal failure. Signs of this are lack or urination. Dark painful urination with some blood in it may appear. Rapid breathing, high pulse, and a fever develop. Get to EMS services as fast as possible.
Circulatory shock is the body’s response to loss of blood. Extremities will get cold. Body temperature will drop. Breathing will become weak and erratic. Heart beat will become erratic. Stop the bleeding as fast as possible. Lay the person down and elevate the legs and arms above the heart. This will cause blood to stay in the areas near the organs to keep the life support of the body going. Get to EMS services as fast as possible.
Choking:
When something is lodged in the trachea the body begins to cough to get the foreign object out. As long as someone is breathing do not attempt any back blows or Heimlich. This can actually lodge the object further. Let them try to cough the object out on their own. Once they stop getting any air then you need to perform the Heimlich. If they pass out while trying you will need to lay them down and start stomach compressions. These are not the chest compressions in CPR. You are literally pushing on the abdomen in an attempt to force any air to pop the object out. Take into consideration the victim’s body size and push accordingly. After every five compressions, check their mouth for signs of the object. If you see it, lodge the mouth open with your wallet so they don’t bite your finger as you try to get the object with your finger. Never use a tool that can be dropped or cause more damage to retrieve the object. You can perform the Heimlich on yourself by using the back of a chair, tall board, log, shovel handle, etc.