Backpacker Magazine – September 2011

Saving Lives: When to Evacuate, First-Aid Essentials

Learn to decide when to walk out and when to stay put with a variety of backcountry medical ailments.

by: Steve Howe

Tags:
• Skills
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• First aid
|

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First-Aid Essentials | When to Evacuate Consider your activity, trip length, and group size when determining amounts of these WFR-recommended first-aid supplies.

>> Latex or nitrile rubber gloves
>> CPR mask
>> Wound care supplies (povidone-iodine wipes, steri-strips, transparent-film bandages)
>> Athletic tape
>> Tweezers
>> Triangular bandages/webbing
>> Paper and pen/pencil
>> Headlamp or mini penlight
>> Electrolyte replacement powder or pills
>> Glucose-heavy snack, without caffeine

Medications
Don’t administer prescription meds without the prescribed’s assistance. A botched dosage or accidental misuse can increase the potential for life-threatening complications—and injury lawsuits. Using them also negates your protection under Good Samaritan laws. But, consider these over-the-counter additions:

>> Cavit Spackle for teeth. This temporary dental adhesive seals open cavities and broken teeth.
>> Aspirin A fever reducer and mild painkiller, it’s also an anticoagulant that can help prevent heart attacks and reduce heart damage during an attack.
>> Ibuprofen An anti-inflammatory and painkiller. Max adult dose is 800 mg every four hours.
>> Benadryl (diphenhydramine) An antihistamine for most allergies, and a slow-onset remedy for the intense puffiness, wheezing, and bronchial constriction resulting from an anaphylactic reaction.

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