This protocol specifically applies to dislocations of the shoulder, patella, and digits resulting from an indirect force; all other potential dislocations should be treated as one would treat any other potentially unstable joint injury (i.e., splint in a position that maintains stability & neurovascular function while facilitating transport).

In a wilderness context, clearing a potential spine injury when there is a positive mechanism for such an injury requires a careful evaluation that focuses on patient reliability, nervous system function, and spinal column stability. Adequate time must be allowed for the evaluation.

To be effective, CPR must be started promptly and be provided in a consistent and quality manner. Even then, its benefits in a wilderness or remote setting are limited.

In the management of all wounds, bleeding must be controlled using well-aimed direct pressure with whatever means are necessary. Controlling all severe bleeding (Stop The Bleed) is a higher priority than cleaning out a wound, regardless of how deep or wide the wound is. This is to be accomplished via well-aimed direct pressure, followed by the use of either a hemostatic agent or with the use of a TCCC-approved Tourniquet.

Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that has life-endangering effects on the circulatory and respiratory systems. Anaphylaxis is an almost immediate, rapidly progressive multisystem allergic reaction to a foreign protein injected into the body by stinging and biting insects, snakes, and sea creatures or ingestion or inhalation of food, chemicals, and medications.

Only in the past two centuries or so has civilized medicine been able to eliminate the environmental obstacles to providing care, allowing healers to focus on the medical problems before them. Aside from the occasional disaster situation, a hospital emergency department is free of wind, rain, rocks, and slope angle.

Wilderness Medicine is not a new concept. It was practiced for tens of thousands of years before modern civilization developed. The healers of centuries past were limited by circumstance to generic diagnoses and simple and adaptable equipment and treatments. A patient’s medical problem was just a small part of a much larger picture that included weather, terrain, hazards, predators, mobility, and limited supplies of food and water.

An adult can die from blood loss in just a few minutes if there is no intervention. If you witness someone bleeding uncontrollably - whether from a car accident, gun violence, natural disaster, or other emergency or accident - it's important to ensure your own safety first. If you are safe, call EMS immediately or direct someone else to call.

Bleeding from most injuries can be stopped by applying direct pressure to the injury. This keeps from cutting off the blood supply to the affected limb. A wound that is deep, bleeding heavily, or has blood spurting from it (caused by bleeding from an artery), may not clot and may not stop bleeding. The first step is to stop the bleeding, this is called hemostasis.

No one expects to encounter a bleeding emergency, but if you do it’s important to be prepared. The on-the-scene care immediately given to those hurt in a car collision, home accident, on the job, or to victims of gun assaults, accidents, or mass violence, is critical. Life-saving action should be taken as soon as possible.

A bleeding injury can happen anywhere. We've all seen it happen too often—on the news or in everyday life. Life-threatening bleeding can happen in people injured in serious accidents or disasters. Instead of being a witness, you can become an immediate responder because you know how to STOP THE BLEED

Wound packing is a technique of internal direct pressure that places gauze material directly on the lacerated blood vessels in an attempt to control bleeding. Wound packing is indicated for penetrating wounds where bleeding cannot be controlled using direct pressure alone.

The TCCC Guidelines are the standard of care for the modern battlefield. The guidelines cover: Care Under Fire (CUF), Tactical Field Care (TFC), Tactical Evacuation Care (TACEVAC). These recommendations are intended to be guidelines only and are not a substitute for clinical judgment. 

Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC or TC3) are the United States military guidelines for trauma life support in prehospital combat medicine, designed to reduce preventable deaths while maintaining operation success. The TCCC guidelines are routinely updated and published by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC), which is part of the Defense Committees on Trauma (DCoT) division of the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

According to the Global Burden of Disease, trauma is now responsible for five million deaths each year. High-income countries have made great strides in reducing trauma-related mortality figures but low–middle-income countries have been left behind with high trauma-related fatality rates, primarily in the younger population.

Millions of people are affected by disasters each year. Effective disaster management is essential to reduce suffering and support those affected. Here are 10 reasons why disaster management is important.

The need to prepare for a world of unexpected shocks has become clearer than ever. Epidemics, floods, storms, droughts and wildfires are all expected to become more frequent and severe, affecting hundreds of millions of people every year. Preparing for disasters saves countless lives, speeds up people’s recovery and saves money; ultimately preventing and reducing the impacts of disasters on communities.

Trauma is a leading cause of death for all age groups. EMS plays a pivotal role in trauma systems of care through assessment, treatment, and transport to the most appropriate trauma-care facility. Here are the top 10 things you need to know about multi-system trauma to save lives.

“What do I do if the victim is pregnant?” This is a common question that Emergency Care Instructors hear during CPR and AED topics. Just like with any other victim, it’s better to provide care than to do nothing at all. In fact, you won’t perform CPR or use the AED any differently than you would with a non-pregnant person. Here’s some information to better understand how a woman’s body adapts during pregnancy and considerations to take when providing emergency care.

First aid is not always a one-size-fits-all approach – there are some circumstances which call for an adjustment in the way first aid is administered. Due to the associated anatomical and physiological changes, pregnancy is one such example where some changes should be made. Pregnancy can also cause rescuers to hesitate to administer first aid due to fears of harming the mother or baby – therefore it is important to know what steps to take in an emergency situation.