Year: 2016

The Story

Terry O’Connor, MD Our work comes from story.  There is the obvious; the detective work of collating symptom and pattern, of differentiating disease in hopes for an accurate cure. Just pick one out of the fetid stew.  Dengue? Malaria?  Perhaps a little TB and Amebiasis? But, this is the easy task; calculated and objective. Challenge comes, not […]

Spinal Immobilization

Terry O’Connor Indications: The risk, benefits, and latest evidence regarding the decision to perform spinal immobilization have been reviewed previously here. For review, we generally recommend a focused spinal assessment in making the decision to perform spinal immobilization. This helps to determine if spinal precautions, such as c-collar, head-blocks and a backboard are necessary for […]

Patient Packaging

Terry O’Connor, MD Generally speaking, patient packaging is the process of securing a patient for transport.  The technique is dependent on environment, available resources, type of rescue and number of rescuers as well as extraction plan.  Below is a brief review, but if you’d like to learn more: join us for for some hands-on practice […]

Splinting Review

Terry O’Connor Extremity Splints: Principles of Splinting Visualize the injured body part. Continually recheck the patient’s neurovascular status. Traction is indicated if the pulse is not palpable. Gentle traction involves less than 10 lbs of force. Cover open wounds with sterile dressings. Immobilize the joints above and below the injury. Padding prevents further tissue damage. […]

End of the day?

Terry O’Connor, MD Whether planned or unplanned, knowing how much time you have left in the day can mean the difference to making it to dinner on time or thinking about where to shelter or build a bivy for the night. Consider using this cool little trick to figure out how much time you have […]

Feeling Lucky?

Terry O’Connor, MD Ever wonder how much risk you’re taking with your recreational versus lifestyle choices? Check out this entertaining little reference!  

Cleaning Wounds

Terry O’Connor, MD What’s the Magic Cleanser for wounds? Bottom line: Turns out it’s water . .  .  and lots of it. In this  meta analysis of 11 studies, tap water, distilled water, cooled boiled water, and normal saline were evaluated. The studies included wounds in kids and adults. Wound type included lacerations (five trials), chronic […]

Spring Touring

Terry O’Connor, MD SOME KEY SPRING TIME CONSIDERATIONS: Recent Avalanche activity Recent Precipitation and/ or wind Intense solar activity / First Sun Warm, above freezing temperatures on consecutive non-freezing nights or Rain Cornice failure Spring is a wonderful time for ski touring. Warm weather and sunny skies after fast moving storms can be a recipe […]

Avalanche Safety – Slope Angle

Terry O’Connor, MD A large problem with prime avalanche slopes is they are highly enticing to ride. This presents a challenge to all who are trying to have fun, yet ride safely in avalanche terrain. Recognizing  what slopes are prone to avalanching is an important part of making safe backcountry decisions. One of the best […]

Snowblind

Terry O’Connor, MD Clinic Day here on the Tibetan Plateau. Typically the queue is quiet and reserved. I am often amazed by serene, smiling, weather-worn and wrinkled faces . . a stark contrast to each calamity that hides underneath a bloody bandage or crooked arm. Today, however, one hunched over Yak herder, head in his […]

Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease Todd Miner It’s spring, and while that still means flowers, returning birds, and the start of baseball, it now also means tick season.  Every year over 300,000 people in the US contract Lyme Disease, transmitted by the black-legged or deer tick.  The great majority of these cases are contracted in the Northeast and/or […]

Snow Place Like Home!

Todd’s Ten Tips for Efficient & Safe Snow Shelters Todd Miner University of Colorado School of Medicine, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine Section 1. Bring the right tools – A snow shovel made for backcountry travel is an essential winter safety tool. A snow saw can be helpful for making blocks and an avalanche probe helpful […]