As temperatures drop, the winter outdoor season heats up! Stay on top of things with our quiz on hypothermia and our upcoming courses. And enjoy the Holiday Season!

As always, be safe in the outdoors,

Though most of Wilderness Medicine involves a good combination of problem solving and common sense, frostbite treatment involves a few simple, yet counter- intuitive techniques. In the early winter, when cold takes alot of enthusiasts by surprise, help your patients with this quick quiz:

True or False

1. The first step in Frostbite treatment should always be rapid re-warming.
2. A fire is not a good way to rewarm frostbite injuries.
3. The only additional treatment that should take place during rewarming is massaging the frostbitten area.

Answers:

False - Though rapid rewarming is used with frostbite as opposed to slow warming (as in hypothermia), it is important in many cases to evacuate a patient first since refreezing is much more dangerous than long-term freezing. If there is any chance that the limb will refreeze, do not thaw until the patient has been evacuated.
1. True - Sources of dry heat like a fire are dangerous because the temperature cannot be as easily regulated and may result in burns, further damaging the tissues. The best way to rewarm is using circulated heated water at about 40-42 degrees Celsius. In the absence of a thermometer, use your own hand to make sure the water is not too hot.
2. False - Massaging frozen tissues can greatly increase tissue necrosis. The injured person may move the limb, but that should be the extent of the motion. However, a good addition to rewarming is ibuprofen or similar NSAIDs. A good dose is 400 mg every 12 hours to decrease tissue damage.

As a prevention or once a limb has been thawed, be sure to keep warm dry clothing on trouble areas like hands, feet, ears or nose. Remember, prevention is the best treatment. Keep warm in the outdoors this winter!

Lake Guntersville State Park, Alabama January 23 - 25, 2009

Canyons Resort, Utah - February 20 - 24, 2009

Aurora, Colorado - March 13 - 15, 2009

Moab, Utah - May 27 - 30, 2009

The Advanced Wilderness Life Support certification course was originally developed at the University of Utah School of Medicine and has grown significantly since its creation in 1997. The increasing demand for certification resulted in the creation of a new organization, AdventureMed, to promote the responsible growth of the AWLS program. AWLS certification is available to anyone with a medical degree or certification including: MD, DO, RN, DDS, DPM, PA, EMT and Paramedic.

The Wilderness Life Support Institute, a nonprofit organization, was founded by Paul S. Auerbach, MD and Richard Ingebretsen, MD to oversee the content and quality of the AWLS certification program.

The mission of AWLS is to create competence in medical professionals, enabling them to effectively manage emergency medical situations outside traditional medical facilities.