Auerbach - Medicine for the Outdoors: the Essential Guide to Emergency Medical Procedures and First Aid

MEDICINE FOR THE OUTDOORS

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO FIRST AID AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

FIFTH EDITION

PAUL S. AUERBACH, MD, MS, FACEP, FAWM

Professor of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

MOSBY

Dedication

When a crisis occurs in the backcountry, punching in 911 may not even get you a dial tone youre on your own. This book is your wilderness 911. Take the time to read it and know the principles of care provided within it. Medicine for the Outdoors just might save your life. Frank Hubbell, DO, Founder of Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO), Wilderness Medicine and Rescue Instructor, Conway, NH

Students with a broad range of experience take wilderness medicine courses. Its not easy to find a comprehensive text that accommodates all their needs. Medicine for the Outdoors engages the non-professional while keeping the most seasoned provider informed in the latest techniques for backcountry medical practice. Dr. Auerbach has written another book that will become the gold standard for anyone with an interest in health and safety outdoors. William Fred Baty, WEMT-P, Assistant Fire Chief, City of Knoxville Fire Department; Lead Wilderness Medicine Instructor, The Wilderness Medicine Program, Roane State Community College, Knoxville, TN

This manual contains a wealth of succinct, up-to-date, and practical advice. It is an indispensable medical guide for wilderness enthusiasts and health professionals. Kent R. Olson, MD, Medical Director, San Francisco Division, California Poison Control System

Most first aid books describe a condition and sometimes advise simple first aid measures, but ultimately end up with the admonition to seek medical attention. This is safe advice when a clinic or hospital or ambulance is right around the corner. But what about when youre on the adventure of a lifetime in the wilds of Mongolia or the mountains of Tibet or several days out to sea? Seek medical advice helps not a bit. In these situations, there is no better resource (including having a direct line to your hospital ER) than Medicine for the Outdoors. Dr. Paul Auerbach is to wilderness medicine what Bill Gates is to computers; he is the source, and so this book is a treasure trove of information not only for untrained laypeople but for most physicians. There is no more understandable or complete collection of information on what to do for anything that might befall an adventure traveler from high altitude cerebral edema to soapfish dermatitis to cougar attack to how to stitch a laceration. Even better, Medicine for the Outdoors provides essential guidance in advance of an adventure to help with planning and prevention from immunizations to equipment and clothing to dietary precautions. The handy appendices include a drug reference, conversion tables, and definitions of common medical terms. Contemplating an adventure? The old adage Seek medical attention has been replaced with Get Medicine for the Outdoors. Luanne Freer, MD, FACEP, FAWM, Founder/Director, Everest Base Camp Medical Clinic; Medical Director, Yellowstone National Park; Past President, Wilderness Medical Society

You always hope for the best and plan for the worst. Being well prepared for the unexpected in the wilderness is greatly enhanced by our survival bible, namely, Medicine for the Outdoors. Our guides, trip leaders, and clients never adventure without this well-written and easy-to-understand book, and we invariably benefit from it. The common sense approach and complete coverage have helped us mitigate situations and avoid greater emergencies. In all reaches of the globe, with Medicine for the Outdoors, were much closer to definitive care. Laurence Alvarez-Roos, Co-founder, Bio Bio Expeditions World Wide

This new update of Medicine for the Outdoors is more impressive and indispensable than ever. The uncomplicated, clear writing and illustrations are delightfully easy to understand, even though the book is remarkably thorough and superbly detailed. I highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about working and playing in the outdoors. Donald C. Cooper, PhD, Editor, Fundamentals of Search and Rescue; Chair, National Fire Protection Association Technical Search and Rescue Committee

This book provides invaluable guidance for both the medical teams that travel with us to remote areas around the world, and for the patients we treat there. Medicine for the Outdoors is a must-have medical manual for serious travelers who venture off the beaten path. Rachel Friday, MPH, MA, RD, Director, Medical Expeditions International

Auerbachs much enhanced fifth edition of Medicine for the Outdoors continues to serve as an ideal portable reference. Whether you are in the front country, exploring tropical reefs, or trekking at high altitude, Medicine for the Outdoors rapidly guides to solutions for the most important medical problems. I strongly recommend this reference as a primary source for laypersons as well as a supplement for individuals with advanced wilderness medicine training. Brad L. Bennett, PhD, NREMT-P, FAWM, Captain, US Navy (Retired); Adjunct Faculty, Military and Emergency Medicine Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Traveling in the wilderness or abroad can be punctuated by unexpected illness or injury. If you plan to travel where medical care is not readily available, Medicine for the Outdoors is the resource you want to have with you. Dr. Auerbach, one of the foremost experts on wilderness medicine, covers topics from basic first aid to major medical illnesses, trauma, medications, and medical kits. Medicine for the Outdoors provides knowledge that can help you survive until further assistance is available. Albert R. Wheeler III, MD, Emergency Medicine of Jackson Hole, WY; Medical Director, Grand Teton National Park EMS

Copyright

MOSBY ELSEVIER

1600 John F. Kennedy Blvd.

Ste 1800

Philadelphia, PA 19103-2899

MEDICINE FOR THE OUTDOORS

ISBN: 978-0-323-06813-0

Copyright 2009 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Copyright 2003 by Paul S. Auerbach

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Notice

Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our knowledge, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary or appropriate.

Readers are advised to, whenever possible, check the most current information provided (i) on procedures featured or (ii) by the manufacturer of each product to be administered, to verify the recommended dose or formula, the method and duration of administration, and contraindications. It is the responsibility of the reader, relying on their own experience, to determine the best treatment for each individual and to take all appropriate safety precautions.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the Author assumes any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein.

The Publisher

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Auerbach, Paul S.

Medicine for the outdoors : the essential guide to first aid and medical emergencies / Paul S. Auerbach. 5th ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-323-06813-0

1. Outdoor medical emergencies. 2. First aid in illness and injury.

I. Title.

RC88.9.O95A94 2009