Cold Exposure
What factors affect the body's ability to tolerate exposure?
Physical Condition, Age, Nutrition and Hydration, Environmental Conditions
The two most efficient methods to decrease heat in our body is sweating (and evaporation of the sweat) and what else?
Dilation of skin blood vessels, which brings blood to the surface to increase the rate of heat radiation.
Experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion in liquid is?
Drowning
Out of the many species of spiders in the US, only two are able to deliver serious and even life threatening bites. They are
The Black Widow & Brown Recluse
Injuries that are caused by the difference between the surrounding atmospheric pressure and the total gas pressure in various tissues, fluids and cavities of the body.
What are dysbarism injures. These usually include acute mountain sickness, high altitude cerebral edema and high altitude pulmonary edema.
Five ways that the body loses heat
What is:
Conduction
Convection
Evaporation
Radiation
Respiration
Three types of heat related emergencies
Heat Cramps
Heat Exhaustion
Heat Stroke
True or False. To be considered a drowning, children must be submerged in at least 12 inches of water.
FALSE! Children can drown in as little as 1 inch of water.
Stings from Hymenoptera such as bees, wasps, ants and yellow jackets are typically life threatening. True or False?
FALSE! They are only considered life threatening if the patient has an anaphylactic reaction to them. Other than that they are just painful.
Most high altitude illness/sickness is the result of?
Ascending too high too fast and those who have not properly acclimated to high altitudes.
A person loses their ability to shiver at what temperature?
What is 90 degrees
Heat stoke occurs when
The body's heat eliminating mechanisms are overwhelmed.
When a person is submerged in cold water, heat will be lost through conduction. This may be beneficial due to what?
The resulting hypothermia can protect vital organs and improve resuscitation outcomes.
There are over 115 different species of snakes in the US. Of those only 19 are venomous. The predominant of the venomous species are rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouth. These are all considered what type of snake?
What are Pit Vipers
The most commonly injured body systems during a lighting strike are
The cardiovascular system and nervous system.
There are differing levels of hypothermia. As the body cools there will be changes that we may see. As the core temp falls below 80 vitals slow, pulses are weak and breathing shallow. The pupillary reaction is slow. Is this person dead?
No! No one is dead unless that are warm and dead. Patients may survive severe hypothermia if proper emergency care is provided. They may appear dead but full resuscitation and rewarming efforts should take place.
Often the first sign of heat stroke is?
Change in mental status. Persons will become altered and unresponsive quickly.
The most common emergency in scuba diving.
What is an air embolism?
True or False? When treating the victim of a snake bite you should clean the area, apply ice for swelling and elevate the extremity so it is above the level of the heart.
FALSE! You should never apply ice as it will worsen tissue necrosis Additionally, the extremity should be kept at a level below the level of the heart.
The most common causes of death associated with lighting strikes are?
Respiratory arrest & cardiac arrest
Patients with generalized hypothermia are at an increased risk of local cold injuries such as frost nip and frostbite due to
Blood being shunted away from the extremities to the core of the body to protect vital organs.
The tell tale sign of a heat stroke is when the body loses its thermoregulatory mechanisms. This sign/symptom will manifest itself as what?
The patient will no longer perspire. This is an ominous sign.
When bubbles if gas, especially nitrogen, obstruct the blood vessels. Typically results from too rapid a ascent from a dive, too long of a dive at too deep a depth or repeated dives in a short amount of time.
What is decompression sickness or the bends
True or False? Scorpion stings are usually fatal.
FALSE! The most venomous scorpion is the Arizona Bark Scorpion. The venom is potent and can cause circulatory collapse in the immune compromised, the very young or the very old if not treated within 24-48 hours. This is very rare. There is an anti-venom available. It is typically only available in Arizona and New Mexico.
True or False. Because of the duration of a lighting strike, skin burns are usually superficial. Full thickness burns are rare.
TRUE! Tissue damage caused by lighting is different that that caused by other electrical related injures (electrocutions) because the tissue damage pathway is usually occurring over the skin rather than through it.