First aid, and a warning..

[big_swede]

Well, what's up with that odd title? I just wanted to give a warning and stir up some thoughts.

A member of our group suffered a bad injury last weekend, while we were out on a skiing trip. A small mistake, that anybody could do, almost made us abort the trip and return to civilisation, and worse, almost caused a permanent damage.

While filling up the thermoses with hot water (melted snow+some electrolytes), some of the hot water melted the snow underneath, thus tilting one of the thermoses. And since fluid water is valueable, she tried to save the content by catching the falling thermos. Bad decision! She ended up getting her hand scalded. Later we learnt that it was a second degree burn. Anyway, immidiately after she saw what happened she trew of the thin finger glove and put the hand into the snow. We filled up a plastic bag with snow, and put it on the hand with a kitchen towel in between. Kept it so for some 40 minutes. Then cleaned with an anti-bacterial cream (burn injuries are easily infected). On with a sterile compress and wrapped the compress in place with a gauze roller bandage. And of course, popped her full of aspirin (plus some prescription pain killers, as burn damages HURT). That was all we could do at the time, as we were in the field. Tough as she is she insisted on staying out.

Well that was what happened, and I just wanted to repeat how easy, more or less severe, accidents can happen. In winter (at least according to the stats I've read), most of the injuries are related to stoves and hot water, not frostbites, as one could expect. And this time we were lucky it wasn't worse, it could easily have become a third degree burn.

Be prepared. What would you do?


EDIT: Spelling...

 

[bushyboo]

Thanks for the warning Big_swede
i got my thinking i should rethink my first aid box

 

[Voivode]

Your story is a reminder of how easily things that would be inconveniences become problems when away from society, and it doesn't even have to be winter. Twisting an ankle is easy to do if walking without care across boulders and scree; when one is a two (or more) hour walk from help with somebody that can't support their own weight it turns out to be no fun at all. Hypothermia is the number one killer in our mountains and can easily strike in the middle of summer if trekkers aren't prepared. Countless people go out for a day hike with the family wearing their shorts and t-shirts with little water and practically no food. If they get lost or delayed and night falls, they can be in trouble as the temperature drops significantly.

I'll reiterate your "Be prepared". Keep your first aid skills up and carry some kind of kit that includes medical supplies (doesn't have to be much) and some survival gear (matches, a knife and a survival blanket is bare minimum) whenever you are away from civilization.

Thanks for the tale!

 

[big_swede]

I'll reiterate your "Be prepared". Keep your first aid skills up and carry some kind of kit that includes medical supplies (doesn't have to be much) and some survival gear (matches, a knife and a survival blanket is bare minimum) whenever you are away from civilization.

Thanks for the tale!

This was a 4 night trip, so we were a long way from civilisation. Which was good, as we then had food for at least 6 days...

 

[Voivode]

I took a wilderness first aid course that was oriented heavily on just this sort of scenario: Dealing with injury 3 days into a week-long outing and it really pounded home how vulnerable we can be.

When we go out I invariably overestimate our food requirements. I plan 3 meals a day, plus an extra meal in case I don't want to eat what I've planned plus tons of snacks. I always end up packing a bunch of food out, which is better than starving to death, IMHO. Dayhikes usually end up with a big bag of trail mix and a whole bunch of energy bars left over. And far too much water.

Same with our first aid kit. I'll pack a small one for a day hike but on multi-day outings it grows considerably. Everyone also packs their own kit consisting of a few bandages, some blister relief (duct tape!) and whatever they feel appropriate for their person (epi pen). They dip into their own for minor injuries, and the main kit is there if something major happens.

 

[anthonyyy]

Then cleaned with an anti-bacterial cream (burn injuries are easily infected).

..

My first aid training was very limited but I was taught not to put anything on a burn. The EMT technician who taught me graphically described how anything you put on will be scraped off later in hospital!
I don't have the knowledge or experience to know if what you did was the right thing I hope someone more knowledgable can answer that. My own feelings are that if you are many hours away from medical help you did the right thing.

 

[Doc]

The old classification of first degree, second degree, etc is no longer used. Burns are either full thickness or partial thickness. Partial thickness burns may be deep or superficial. It is not always possible to diagnose thickness accurately.

First aid treatment of scalds and thermal burns is immediate cooling with water and then apply clingfilm off a roll. The nature of its manufacturing process renders it sterile, it reduces fluid loss and the infection risk, and you can see what's going on underneath.


http://emj.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/21/1/112

 

[loz.]

clingfilm off a roll.

Any roll ? - mine normally contain susages !

 

[Doc]

Any roll ? - mine normally contain susages !

Good point. I mean a roll of clingfilm, not a bread roll.....

 

[spamel]

I have a couple of burns bags that are good for a burn on a hand. I remember at a barbeque a few years ago, my brother was using naptha against my better judgement to get the barby going. He was OK, but his mate wasn't! Tony had to go and answer the phone so he said to his mate, keep splashing a bit on at a time, don't pour loads on or the Sigg bottle will catch alight as the flame shoots up the pouring naptha!! Guess what his mate did!!!!

So the bottle was in flames, and he had spilt a bit on himself when he shook the bottle to try and put the flames out and this had landed on his leg and was alight on his calf The bottle by now was on the deck, on its side burning the garden to the ground!! I had grabbed a tea towel and luckily there was water in the sink so I dunked it in and ran out to smother his burning leg.

Tony came out and asked if he was OK, he said he would be fine and Tony then asked if he wanted some Flamazine to put on the wound. He had done a LURPS medics course or some such only recently and his first aid is quite good. As it turns out, he couldn't find the flamazine so his mate went to the hospital as it was quite bad.

We cracked on and had a lovley barby, andjust as the last chops and sausages were eaten, this guy tips back up again. He had been in the hospital for a couple of hours, they took a look at his calf and put flamazine on it!! Exactly what my brother was gonna do, and he found the stuff about ten minutes after his mate had left!!

 

[fred gordon]

I think this is a timely warning, especially at this time of year when hands can be very cold and we are not so aware of what we are holding/touching and so on. I was a member of a Mountain Rescue team a while ago and many of the incidents we attended involved burns, often caused by ropes in climbing accidents. It is also worth remembering that what can be a very minor incident when you are walking down a street in town can be catastrophic in the wilds. I would include a broken leg here. Most of us are likely to be in an A&E ward within an hour of the accident in a town. In wild places it could be over a day if the weather is wild and a helicopter or rescue team can't get to you!
Just think of these two guys who died in the Cairngorms last weekend. They were only 15 mins from the car park, yet they died. A sobering thought which should remind us all to be that bit more careful in remote places.

 

[Graywolf]

Used some common sense and placed a platform of some sort under the flask.

 

[big_swede]

Used some common sense and placed a platform of some sort under the flask.

We use plywood platforms for the stoves. I don't know how you reason but I wouldn't bring extra weight for refilling flasks, I would just put it hard down into the snow, and make sure I wouldn't spill anything. This was as I said an accident. No matter how well you plan accidents will happen. Don't think you're in a position to say what was right or wrong in this situation.