Medicine for the Outdoors

Preface v

Introduction vii

PART ONE: General Information

How to Use This Book 1

Before You Go 2

General First-Aid Principles 10

PART TWO: Major Medical Problems

An Approach to the Unconscious Victim 21

Chest Injury 39

Serious Lung Disorders 42

Chest Pain 46

Bleeding 49

Shock 58

Head Injury 59

Allergic Reaction 64

Seizure 65

Fractures and Dislocations 67

Amputation 107

Burns 108

Inhalation Injuries 112

Abdominal Pain 116

Emergency Childbirth 130

Diabetes 133

Stroke 135

Infectious Diseases 137

Dealing with Death 150

PART THREE: Minor Medical Problems

General Symptoms 153

Head (Also Eye, Ear, Nose, Throat, and Mouth) 160

Upper Respiratory Disorders 189

PART FOUR: Disorders Related to Specific Environments

Injuries and Illnesses Due to Cold 281

Injuries and Illnesses Due to Heat 296

Wildland Fires 303

High Altitude-Related Problems 306

Snakebite 315

Insect and Arthropod Bites 322

Lightning Strike, Tornado (Cyclone), Hurricane (Typhoon), Flood, Earthquake, Tidal Wave (Tsunami), Landslide (Mudslide), Volcano, and Snow Avalanche 340

Hazardous Aquatic Life and Aquatic Infections 347

Underwater Diving Accidents 360

Drowning 364

Animal Attacks 367

Wild Plant and Mushroom Poisoning 374

PART FIVE: Miscellaneous Information

Oxygen Administration 405

Water Disinfection 406

Motion Sickness 411

Jet Lag 413

First-Aid Kits 415

Immunizations 420

Immunizations 420

Transport of the Injured Victim 429

Ground-to-Air Distress Signals 442

Lost People 444

Procedures 444

APPENDICES

Appendix One: Commonly Used Drugs (Medications) and Doses 455

Appendix Two: Conversion Tables 476

Appendix Three: Guidelines for Prevention of Diseases Transmitted via Human

Blood and Other Bodily Fluids 481

Appendix Four: Commonly Used Applications of the SAM Splint 483

Appendix Five: Personal Safety in an Age of Global Conflict, Kidnapping, and Terrorism 497

Appendix Six: Emergency Canine Medicine 499

Glossary (Including Acronyms and Abbreviations) 502

Index 516

About the Author 549

Dr. Paul S. Auerbach, FACEP, FAWM, is the Redlich Family Professor of Surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is the world's leading expert on wilderness medicine and a prolific author. He is the Editor of Wilderness Medicine, and author of Medicine for the Outdoors and Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine.



Dr. Auerbach holds his MD from Duke and completed his internship at Dartmouth and residency at UCLA. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He has been recognized as a Hero of Emergency Medicine by the American College of Emergency Physicians and received the New Orleans Grand Isle Award for Science from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences, the Founders Award from the Wilderness Medical Society, and the Outstanding Contribution in Education Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians, among others. Dr. Auerbach has served as a volunteer physician in Haiti, Nepal, and Guatemala.

"A comprehensive guide to basically anything that could go wrong, or needs to medically managed whilst in out and about. It packs a lot of information into a digestible handbook. It is aimed at an above average, medically minded, lay adventurer and as a result is written in plain language."

Reviewed by: Dr Stevan R Bruijns, Senior Lecturer in Emergency Medicine at University of Cape Town Date: July 2015

"This is an essential resource to have on a wilderness adventure as it provides people with minimal formal medical education recommendations for caring for fellow travelers with medical emergencies. It packs a significant amount of information into a book that is small enough to take into the wilderness..." -Maria Kristine Goertz, M.D. (Regions Hospital and Level 1 Trauma Center)