Wilderness & environmental medicine
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To analyze the nature of surfing injuries in Cornwall in order to identify trends and inform clinical management. ⋯ Surfing injuries were most common in young adult men. Most injuries presenting to the ED were minor/moderate injuries and did not require hospital admission. The overall pattern of injuries was similar to those found in studies from other countries where surfing is popular; however, there was a higher-than-expected incidence of shoulder dislocation. The trends identified in this study could be used to inform education focused on prevention of the most common injuries. Increased use of protective headwear should be considered.
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Scorpion sting envenomation is a life-threatening emergency and a common public health problem in many regions of the world, particularly in children. Children are at greater risk of developing severe cardiac, respiratory, and neurological complications. ⋯ We found no clinically useful demographic or epidemiological data to guide decision making regarding the need for PICU admission for pediatric victims of scorpion sting in our area. Decisions on transfer and admission to a PICU should be based on the development of systemic findings of envenomation.
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To identify search and rescue (SAR) trends in US National Park Service (NPS) units. ⋯ Without the presence of NPS personnel responding to SAR incidents, 1 in 5 (20%) of those requesting SAR assistance would be a fatality. Future research and the development of any prevention efforts should focus on the 5 NPS units where 50% of all SAR incidents are occurring.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Jan 2009
Letter Case ReportsFrostbite injury related to chlorethane application.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Jan 2009
Comparison of commercially available disposable chemical hand and foot warmers.
Small chemical hand and foot warmers are used by many winter sport athletes and other outdoor enthusiasts. The purpose of this study was to characterize the thermal behaviors of 14 commercially available hand and foot warmers. ⋯ Although there is a paucity of research information on these types of warmers, this experiment showed that some of the devices exceeded packaging claims while others fell short; that the thermal behavior over time of the devices was variable; and that there appears to be a simple but strong relationship between the mass of the devices and the duration of their heat production.