Wilderness First Responder: How to Recognize, Treat, and Prevent Emergencies in the Backcountry

The award-winning guide to medical training for wilderness rescue and self-care Wilderness First Responder is a comprehensive text for the recognition, treatment, and prevention of backcountry emergencies, written by wilderness expert Buck Tilton with more than a dozen medical professionals. Thoroughly updated and revised, this guide represents more than a century and a half of combined experience in wilderness medicine, rescue, and education. It is essential reading for wilderness educators, trip leaders, guides, search and rescue groups, and anyone who works or plays far from definitive medical care. This invaluable resource includes expert step-by-step instructions, clear illustrations, and "Signs and Symptoms" sidebars designed to help you provide immediate care in the wilderness--whenever you are more than an hour away from an ambulance or a medical facility. It shows how to conduct a patient assessment, improvise when ideal materials are not handy, and decide whether or not to evacuate the injured. Learn how to assess and treat: Airway obstructions Cardiac arrest External and internal bleeding Shock Spine injuries Head injuries Chest injuries Abdominal injuries Fractures and dislocations Athletic injuries Soft-tissue injuries Cold- or heat-induced injuries Altitude sickness Insect bites and stings Diabetic emergencies Poisoning emergencies Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis