Wilderness 1st Aid

Wilderness 1^st Aid

In order to prepare my 1^st aid kit and bring only the necessities, I’m going to need to learn a bit about wilderness first aid.

Some common mishaps I may encounter include: blisters, strains, sprains, cuts, severe bleeding, hyperthermia, hypothermia and snakebites.

Below I have provided the (1) definition, (2) signs, (3) preventative measures, and (4) treatment for each. Information was gathered from thru-hiker forum: whiteblaze.net, and my boy scouts handbook.

Blisters

(1)   A pocket of fluid formed in between the inner and outer layers of skin which have separated do to friction

(2)   Heat, redness, pain

(3)   Friction can be reduced by using sock liners.

(4)   Disinfect the site with alcohol, cut a hole the size of the blister in a piece of mole skin, stick it around the bubble, and cover with tape.

Strain

(1)   An overstretched muscle

(2)   Pain, stiffness, discoloration and bruising

(3)   Get your body conditioned

(4)   RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation). A sleeping pad and an extra fleece can serve as a splint.

Sprain

(1)   A torn ligament or overstretched joint

(2)   Pain, stiffness, bruising

(3)   Train

(4)   RICE

Cut

(1)   A laceration of the skin.

(2)   Pretty obvious

(3)   Again, pretty obvious

(4)   Stop bleeding by applying pressure (if it’s a limb, raise it above the heart). Wash out the wound with clean water, tweeze out any debris. Application of an ointment such as Neosporin facilitates the wound healing process and can be applied to the area. Cover the wound to keep it clean and prevent foreign bodies. Change dressing whenever it gets wet or dirty. Air also speeds up the wound-healing process, so once the wound looks good, uncover it. Stitches are required for cuts deeper than 6mm. This is where my floss comes in ;). http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-cuts/FA00042

Fox told me that he brought a sewing kit and one time it came in handy because he had to give himself stitches. Naturally, I begged him to explain, but he smirked and said that he was joking. That would have been a great story.

Severe Bleeding-

(1)   Loss of a large amount of blood from circulation

(2)   bright red spurting blood

(3)   obvious

(4)   pressure should be applied to the main artery feeding the cut, a tourniquet secured on the heart side of the cut (use a bandana and place a rock where your fingers were applying pressure, tighten bandana until blood flow stops) The tourniquet should only be kept taught for an hour, afterwards it should be loosened, if bleeding continues tighten once more. (handbook)

Hyperthermia-

(1)   elevated body temperature due to the body producing more heat than it can dissipate

(2)   hot, dry and red skin, dizziness, low blood pressure

(3)   Stay hydrated, limit sun exposure

(4)   Rest, water, shade, loose some layers

Hypothermia-

(1)   Is the lowing of the core body temperature below 97 degrees

(2)   Grumbling, fumbling, mumbling, stumbling, tumbling

(3)   Stay warm, hydrated and fed

(4)   Strip individual of wet layers, get them wrapped in a sleeping bag (do not get into sleeping bag with them you cool literally catch their cold), have them drink something warm (not above 105 degrees since they are more sensitive to burns) http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=96956#post96956

Snakebites-

Cut off circulation above the bite to prevent it from spreading and suck out the poison. Leave the tourniquet tightened for up to an hour then slowly loosen it so that the poison that still remains slowly enters circulation (handbook).

“You’ll find the more you know the less you need to bring (whiteblaze).” Directions from a fancy 1^st aid kit are useless if you have to sit down and read them while blood is squirting or body temperatures are plummeting. So instead of storing directions in your pack store them in your head prior to your trip so that you can do your best to prevent accidents, but also know how to recognize and respond to them when they occur.