If a person who has diabetes becomes confused, weak, or unconscious for no apparent reason, he may be suffering from insulin shock (low blood sugar) or diabetic ketoacidosis (high blood sugar).
INSULIN SHOCK (LOW BLOOD SUGAR)
If a person with diabetes takes too much insulin or fails to eat enough food to match his insulin level or his level of exercise, a rapid drop in blood sugar can occur. Symptoms may come on very rapidly and include an altered level of consciousness, ranging from slurred speech, bizarre behaviour, and loss of coordination, to seizures and unconsciousness.
Lightning kills more people every year in the United States than all other natural disasters combined. Carrying or wearing metal objects, such as an ice axe, umbrella, backpack frame, or even a hairpin, increases the chances of being hit.
To calculate the approximate distance in miles from a flash of lightning, count in seconds from the time you see the flash to when you hear the thunder, then divide by five.
Head trauma and brain injury can result from direct impact or from the shearing forces produced by rapid deceleration. When your head hits a hard object such as a boulder, the impact can fracture the skull, bruise the brain, or cause severe bleeding inside the brain from damaged blood vessels. Shearing forces from sudden deceleration of the brain against the inside of the skull can also tear blood vessels on the surface of the brain, leading to an expanding blood clot and pressure on the brain (intracranial pressure).
Shock is a life-threatening condition in which blood flow to the tissues of the body is inadequate and cells are deprived of oxygen. Any serious injury or illness can produce shock. Examples are severe bleeding (either external or internal), thigh (femur) or pelvis fractures, major burns, dehydration, heart failure, severe allergic reactions, or spinal cord injuries with paralysis.
New guidelines by the American Heart Association recommend that the three steps of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) be rearranged. The new first step is doing chest compressions instead of doing mouth-to-mouth breathing. The new guidelines apply to adults, children, and infants, but exclude newborns.
The definitive treatment for snake venom poisoning is the administration of antivenin. The most important aspect of therapy is to get the victim to a medical facility as quickly as possible.
Signs and Symptoms of Envenomation
One or more fang marks (rattlesnake bites may leave one, two, or even three fang marks).
Snow blindness is a sunburn to the eye from intense ultraviolet radiation at high altitude or while traveling in the snow which results in a corneal abrasion.
Unfortunately, you are unaware that the injury is occurring until it is too late, because signs and symptoms of snow blindness are delayed by about six hours from the time of exposure to the light. Wearing adequate eye protection (100% UV blocking sunglasses with side protectors) can prevent snow blindness.
There are nine immediate priorities in wilderness first aid, regardless of the injury or illness. The acronym, “THREE ABCs,” is a helpful mantra for recalling the nine priorities. This expanded primary survey is a rapid evaluation of the scene and the patient in which life-threatening conditions, such as a blocked airway, severe bleeding, and cardiac arrest are recognized and simultaneous management is begun.
In this “Medical Minute” segment AMK’s wilderness medical consultant and AMK Co-founder, Eric A. Weiss, MD, debunks some commonly held myths about the most effective methods for stopping problem bleeding. While there are some great new hemostatic products ( Quikclot ) on the market to stop a severe bleed – like an arterial bleed, - the tried and true method of applying direct pressure will work 99% of the time. Watch this video to see how.
One of the co-founders of Adventure Medical Kits, Dr. Weiss is also the author of A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine. Currently, he is the Associate Director of Trauma at the Stanford University Medical Center.
Everyone has had a toothache at some point in their lives, but what do you do when you are in a remote area, traveling in a developing country, or on a back-country expedition? Below are some tips from AMK’s Founder, Dr. Eric A. Weiss about what to do when you find yourself with a dental emergency far from the nearest dentist…..
The common toothache is caused by inflammation of the dental pulp and is often associated with a cavity. The pain may be severe and intermittent and is made worse by hot or cold foods or liquids.
Treatment
1) If the offending cavity can be localized, a piece of cotton soaked with a topical anti-inflammatory agent such as eugenol (oil of cloves) can first be applied.
2) Place a temporary filling material, such as Cavit® or zinc-oxide and eugenol cement, into the cavity or lost filling site to protect the nerve.
ʻWEISS ADVICEʼ [IMPROVISED TECHNIQUE]
Quick relief of dental pain and bleeding. Bleeding and pain from the mouth can often be relieved by placing a moistened tea bag onto the bleeding site or into the socket that is bleeding.
If a person who has diabetes becomes confused, weak, or unconscious for no apparent reason, he may be suffering from insulin shock (low blood sugar) or diabetic ketoacidosis (high blood sugar).
