Wilderness & environmental medicine
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Wilderness Environ Med · Sep 2010
Chemical oxygen generation: Evaluation of the Green Dot Systems, Inc portable, nonpressurized emOx device.
To evaluate the performance of the emOx emergency powdered oxygen portable nonpressurized delivery system. This device produces oxygen through chemical reaction and is marketed for emergency first aid use until professional medical assistance is available. ⋯ A readily available, high concentration oxygen supply could have utility to manage many conditions in advance of the arrival of professional emergency medical services (EMS). Unfortunately, the highly variable activation time and low average oxygen flow rate make the rapid deployment value of the emOx equivocal. The limited total oxygen yield makes it inappropriate for conditions demanding significant oxygen resources. Advancement in oxygen concentrator systems likely holds far more promise than powdered chemical oxygen generation for first aid and emergency medical applications.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Sep 2010
ReviewNon-avalanche-related snow immersion deaths: tree well and deep snow immersion asphyxiation.
Non-avalanche-related snow immersion death (NARSID), or snow immersion asphyxiation, is a significant winter mountain hazard for skiers and snowboarders. This phenomenon occurs predominately in western North America, where large tree wells and deep snowpacks develop. Although statistics are difficult to procure, snow immersion asphyxiation has resulted in more than 70 documented deaths in the past 2 decades. ⋯ A skier or snowboarder who falls near or into a tree well should tuck, roll, and try to land upright, grab the tree trunk or a branch, and yell or blow a whistle to alert partners. If buried upside down, the person should stay calm and create an air pocket, which is probably of paramount importance. Skiers and snowboarders should use avalanche safety equipment to lessen the risk of snow submersion asphyxiation.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Sep 2010
Spontaneous endogenous core temperature rewarming after cooling due to snow burial.
To measure afterdrop and rewarming in subjects placed in a hypothermia wrap immediately after extrication from 60 minutes of snow burial. ⋯ Afterdrop rate increased about 4-fold as compared to snow burial cooling rate for a transient time period in subjects who were placed immediately into an insulating hypothermia wrap. Spontaneous endogenous rewarming increased core body temperature at a slightly higher rate than it decreased during snow burial. These findings suggest that field rewarming of mildly hypothermic and shivering avalanche burial victims is possible, but they should be insulated quickly to limit significant afterdrop.