Wilderness First Responder - How to Recognize, Treat, and Prevent Emergencies in the Backcountry

The award-winning guide to medical training for wilderness rescue and self-care
Wilderness First Responder is a comprehensive text for the recognition, treatment, and prevention of backcountry emergencies, written by wilderness expert Buck Tilton with more than a dozen medical professionals. Thoroughly updated and revised, this guide represents more than a century and a half of combined experience in wilderness medicine, rescue, and education. It is essential reading for wilderness educators, trip leaders, guides, search and rescue groups, and anyone who works or plays far from definitive medical care.

This invaluable resource includes expert step-by-step instructions, clear illustrations, and "Signs and Symptoms" sidebars designed to help you provide immediate care in the wilderness-whenever you are more than an hour away from an ambulance or a medical facility. It shows how to conduct a patient assessment, improvise when ideal materials are not handy, and decide whether or not to evacuate the injured.

Learn how to assess and treat:

Airway obstructions
Cardiac arrest
External and internal bleeding
Shock
Spine injuries
Head injuries
Chest injuries
Abdominal injuries
Fractures and dislocations
Athletic injuries
Soft-tissue injuries
Cold- or heat-induced injuries
Altitude sickness
Insect bites and stings
Diabetic emergencies
Poisoning emergencies
Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis

List of contents

Contents



List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Section I: Introduction



1. Wilderness Emergency Medical Care

First Response and Responsibility

A Brief History of Wilderness Medicine

Wilderness Medicine vs. Urban Medicine

Training

2. Legal Issues in Wilderness Medicine

Civil Law and the WFR

Negligence

Legal Considerations

Legal Protection

Section II: Patient Assessment and Initial Concerns



3. Patient Assessment

Stop! Size up the Scene

Stop! Assess the Patient for Immediate Threats to Life

Stop! Complete a Focused Exam and Patient History

Stop! Make a Problem List and a Plan

Stop! Monitor the Patient’s Condition

4. Airway and Breathing

Basic Anatomy of the Airway

Assessing the Airway

Foreign-Body Airway Obstruction: Conscious Adult

Rescue Breathing

Recovery Position

Evacuation Guidelines

5. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Basic Anatomy of the Heart

Cardiac Arrest and CPR

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Adult One-Rescuer CPR

Complications Caused by CPR

Criteria for Stopping CPR

Special Considerations for the Wilderness

Specific Wilderness Situations

Evacuation Guidelines

6. Bleeding

Types of Bleeding

Body Response to Bleeding

Control of External Bleeding

Internal Bleeding

Evacuation Guidelines

7. Shock

Basic Anatomy and Physiology of the Cardiovascular System

Shock

Types and Causes of Shock

Stages of Shock

Risk Factors

Management of Shock

Evacuation Guidelines

Section III: Traumatic Injuries



8. Spine Injuries

Basic Anatomy of the Spine

Mechanisms of Injury

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

General Assessment of the Spine

Treatment for Suspected Spinal Injury

Lifting and Moving a Patient

Special Considerations for the Wilderness

The Focused Spine Assessment

Evacuation Guidelines

9. Head Injuries

Basic Anatomy of the Head

Types of Head Injuries

Levels of Head Injury

Treatment for Serious Head Injury

Evacuation Guidelines

10. Chest Injuries

Basic Anatomy of the Chest and Normal Breathing

Types of Chest Injuries

General Treatment Guidelines

Evacuation Guidelines

11. Abdominal Injuries

Basic Anatomy of the Abdomen

General Abdominal Trauma Assessment

Blunt Trauma Assessment and Treatment

Penetrating Trauma Assessment and Treatment

Evacuation Guidelines

12. Athletic Injuries

General Assessment of Athletic Injuries

General Treatment of Athletic Injuries

Specific Treatment for General Types of Athletic Injuries

Specific Treatment for Specific Athletic Injuries

Prevention of Athletic Injuries

Evacuation Guidelines

13. Fractures

Basic Anatomy of the Musculoskeletal System

Types of Fractures

General Assessment of a Fracture

General Principles of Fracture Treatment

Specific Treatment for Upper Body Fractures

Specific Treatment for Lower Body Fractures

Complicated Fractures

Evacuation Guidelines

14. Dislocations

General Assessment and Treatment of Dislocations

Specific Treatment for Upper Body Dislocations

Specific Treatment for Lower Body Dislocations

Long-Term Care for Dislocations

Evacuation Guidelines

15. Wilderness Wound Management

Basic Anatomy of the Skin

Types of Wounds

General Wound Management

Management of Specific Wounds

Evacuation Guidelines for Wounds

Wilderness Burn Management

Evacuation Guidelines for Burns

General Wound Infection Management

Evacuation Guidelines for Infected Wounds

Section IV: Environmental Emergencies



16. Cold-Induced Emergencies

Heat Production

Heat Loss

Hypothermia

Frostbite

Nonfreezing Cold Injury

Evacuation Guidelines

17. Heat-Induced Emergencies

Dehydration

Heat Cramps

Heat Exhaustion

Heatstroke

Hyponatremia

Prevention of Heat-Induced Emergencies

Evacuation Guidelines

18. Altitude Illnesses

Acclimatization

Acute Mountain Sickness

High-Altitude Cerebral Edema

High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema

Prevention of Altitude Illnesses

Evacuation Guidelines

19. Immersion and Submersion Incidents

Immersion

Drowning

Near-Drowning

Prevention

Evacuation Guidelines

20. Lightning Injuries

Mechanisms of Injury

Types of Injuries

Management of the Patient

Prevention of Lightning Injuries

Evacuation Guidelines

21. North American Bites and Stings

Reptiles

Spiders

Scorpions

Zoonoses

Hymenoptera

Centipedes

Bears

Dangerous Marine Life

Evacuation Guidelines

22. Diving Emergencies

Physical Principles of Diving

Types of Barotrauma

Other Diving Disorders

Prevention of Diving Emergencies

Evacuation Guidelines

Section V: Medical Emergencies



23. Cardiac Emergencies

Types of Cardiac Emergencies

General Treatment for Cardiac Emergencies

Evacuation Guidelines

24. Respiratory Emergencies

Types of Respiratory Emergencies

Evacuation Guidelines

25. Neurological Emergencies

Basic Anatomy of the Brain

Unconscious States

Types of Neurological Emergencies

Evacuation Guidelines

26. Diabetic Emergencies

Normal Physiology

Diabetic Physiology

Hyperglycemia

Hypoglycemia

Diabetics in the Wilderness

Prevention of Diabetic Emergencies

Evacuation Guidelines

27. Poisoning Emergencies

Ingested Poisons

Treatment for Ingested Poisons

Inhaled Poisons

Treatment for Inhaled Poisons

Absorbed Poisons

Injected Poisons

General Treatment Guidelines for Poisonings

Evacuation Guidelines

28. Allergic Reactions and Anaphylaxis

Allergic Reactions

Anaphylaxis

Evacuation Guidelines

29. Abdominal Illnesses

General Abdominal Illness Assessment

Some Types of Abdominal Illnesses

General Treatment for Abdominal Illnesses

Evacuation Guidelines

30. Communicable Diseases and Camp Hygiene

Agents of Infection

Communication of Disease

Some Specific Communicable Diseases

Camp Hygiene

Principles of Camp Hygiene

Section VI: Special Emergencies



31. Common Wilderness Medical Problems

Headaches

Eye Injuries

Ear Injuries

Nose Injuries

Skin Damage

Gastrointestinal Problems

Flulike Illnesses

Solar Radiation Problems

Motion Sickness

Dental Problems

Other Mouth Problems

32. Urinary and Reproductive Emergencies

General Assessment Guidelines for Urinary and Reproductive Emergencies

Basic Anatomy of Biological Male Genitalia

Specific Emergencies for Persons with a Penis

Basic Anatomy of Biological Female Genitalia

Specific Emergencies for Persons with a Vagina

33. Obstetrical Emergencies

Basic Anatomy and Physiology of Pregnancy

Obstetrical Emergencies

Normal Childbirth

Complications of Delivery

Evacuation Guidelines

34. Psychological and Behavioral Emergencies

Normal Responses to Crisis

Critical-Incident Stress

Basic Psychological Impairment

Evacuation Guidelines

Section VII: Special Concerns



35. Emergency Procedures for Outdoor Groups

Trip Plans

Evacuation Organization

Managing a Lost Person Incident

Summary

36. Wilderness Transportation of the Sick or Injured

Walk-Out/Ski-Out

One-Rescuer Carries

Two-Rescuer Carries

Litters

Horse Transports

Vehicle Transports

Summary

37. Wilderness Medical Kits

General Guidelines for Wilderness Medical Kits

Specific Considerations for Wilderness Medical Kits

Final Thoughts on Kits

Appendixes



A. Oxygen and Mechanical Aids to Breathing

Oxygen and Respiration

Supplemental Oxygen Safety

The Tank

The Regulator

Oxygen Therapy

Airway Maintenance

Passive Delivery

Positive Pressure Delivery

Suction

B. Automated External Defibrillation

The AED

Operational Procedures

C. Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers

Adult Two-Rescuer CPR

Child and Infant CPR

Foreign-Body Airway Obstructions

Rescue Breathing for Children and Infants

Glossary



Bibliography



Index



About the Author

About the author

Buck Tilton is co-founder of the Wilderness Medicine Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Lander, Wyoming. He has extensive hands-on experience in prehospital medicine and wilderness search and rescue. He has also written numerous books, including Medicine for the Backcountry and Backcountry First Aid and Extended Care. He has written more than 1,300 magazine articles on outdoor subjects and was a contributing editor to Backpacker Magazine for more than 20 years. Buck lives in Lander, Wyoming and teaches at Central Wyoming College.

Product details

• Authors: Buck Tilton, Tilton Buck
• Publisher: Rowman and Littlefield
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2021
• EAN: 9781493067053
• ISBN: 978-1-4930-6705-3
• No. of pages: 312
• Subjects: Guides > Sport > General, dictionaries, handbooks, yearbooks, history; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > General; SPORTS & RECREATION / Outdoor Skills, MEDICAL / Emergency Medicine, HEALTH & FITNESS / First Aid, Active outdoor pursuits, Outdoor survival skills, Accident & emergency medicine, First Aid For The Home