Wilderness & environmental medicine
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2019
Practice GuidelineWilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for Spinal Cord Protection.
The Wilderness Medical Society reconvened an expert panel to update best practice guidelines for spinal cord protection during trauma management. This panel, with membership updated in 2018, was charged with the development of evidence-based guidelines for management of the injured or potentially injured spine in wilderness environments. ⋯ Key recommendations include the concept that interventions should be goal oriented (spinal cord/column protection in the context of overall patient and provider safety) rather than technique oriented (immobilization). This evidence-based, goal-oriented approach does not support the immobilization of suspected spinal injuries via rigid collars or backboards.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2019
Time Course of Hoist Operations by the Search and Rescue Helicopter Service in Southeast Norway.
Optimal dispatch of emergency medical services relies on accurate time estimates of the various prehospital stages. Hoist rescue work time intervals performed by the search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service in Norway have not been studied to date. We aimed to describe the epidemiologic, operational, and medical aspects of the SAR service in southeast Norway. To complement the prehospital timeline, we performed simulated hoist operations. ⋯ Hoist rescue was performed in 10% (n=148) of the SAR operations. New information about hoist extrication time intervals can improve rescue helicopter dispatch accuracy.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2019
Age and Sex Are Strongly Correlated to the Rate and Type of Mountain Injuries Requiring Search and Rescue Missions.
Because of the growing popularity of mountain tourism, the number of injuries related to mountain activities has increased rapidly. The regional volunteer search and rescue team (Tatra mountain rescue team [MRT], Poland) anticipates future increases in injuries and accidents. ⋯ Sex and age are associated with the mechanisms and severity of injuries in the mountain environment. They should be considered in the development of appropriate prevention and response programs. Further studies are needed to confirm the results.