Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia
Accidental hypothermia is an unintentional drop in core temperature to 35°C or below. Core temperature is best measured by esophageal probe. If core temperature cannot be measured, the degree should…
Wilderness Emergency Medical Services Systems
Wilderness emergency medical services (WEMS) are designed to provide high quality health care in wilderness environments. A WEMS program should have oversight by a qualified physician responsible for protocol development,…
Arthropod Envenomation in North America
Arthropods (phylum Arthopoda) account for a higher percentage of morbidity and mortality to humans than do mammalian bites, snake bites, or marine envenomation. They are ubiquitous in domestic dwellings, caves,…
North American Snake Envenomation
Native US snakes that produce clinically significant envenomation can be divided into 2 groups, crotalids and elapids. The crotalids include rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads. Crotalid envenomation can result in significant…
Preparing for International Travel and Global Medical Care
Thorough pretravel preparation and medical consultation can mitigate avoidable health and safety risks. A comprehensive pretravel medical consultation should include an individualized risk assessment, immunization review, and discussion of arthropod…
Is There a Doctor Onboard? Medical Emergencies at 40,000 Feet
It is estimated 2.75 billion people travel aboard commercial airlines every year and 44,000 in-flight medical emergencies occur worldwide each year. Wilderness medicine requires a commonsense and improvisational approach to…
Medicolegal Issues in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine
There is increased participation in wilderness expeditions to remote and austere environments, which increases the likelihood of an accident and/or medical emergency and the professional liability risks for trip organizers….
Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Austere Environments
With the advent of portable ultrasound machines, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has proven to be adaptable to a myriad of environments, including remote and austere settings, where other imaging modalities cannot…
Tactical Combat Casualty Care and Wilderness Medicine
Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) is a set of evidence-based, best-practice prehospital trauma care guidelines customized for use on the battlefield. Military units that have trained all of their unit…