Wilderness & environmental medicine
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Wilderness Environ Med · Aug 1996
Advanced life support in the wilderness: 5-year experience of the Reach and Treat team.
Increasing recreation in the wilderness raises questions about the value of providing advanced life support (ALS) care in the backcountry. Since 1989 the Reach and Treat (RAT) team has provided ALS care in the wilderness area that surrounds Mount Hood, Oregon. The purpose of our study was to describe patient demographics, terrain, injuries, and ALS treatment in the wilderness environment. ⋯ No injuries to RAT team members occurred during these missions, although two minor injuries occurred during training and testing. We found that wilderness-trained paramedics safely provided ALS care in a backcountry environment. This care may improve patient comfort during long extrication and speeds the arrival of potentially life-saving interventions such as advanced airway management.