Medicine for the Outdoors

Auerbach, Paul S.

ISBN 978-0-323-06813-0

Published by Mosby Elsevier in 2009 (5th edition)

In short: Principles over practice. Adaptive EMS at its best.

A must have for anyone practicing in a rural area, or anyone who spends time away from the conveniences of ambulances, ER's and on-line medical control. Auerbach has compiled an impressively comprehensive tome of outdoor medical knowledge, skills, and practice.

Among the more extreme skills, there are also a number more immediately applicable skills. The book includes section about how to:

* control the airway by attaching the tongue to the mouth with safety pins,

* fashion an improvised CPR mouth to mouth barrier from a surgical glove,

* improvise C-spine stabilization with common materials,

* provide "sutures" with hair and string,

* splint and sling anything with anything (yes, more safety pins),

* provide prolonged traction as needed without a traction splint,

* close wounds,
* apply advanced bandaging (many examples with illustrations),
* identify potentially harmful insect and reptile bites using a variety of techniques,

While this book can be read cover to cover with interest, its value is likely to be as a reference. This is the book to pick up before that group hike or other outdoor adventure in which you're sure to be the only one with EMS training. If you pack light enough, you might even want to bring it along.