77
votes
Accepted
I've just been bitten by a rattlesnake; how, exactly, do I "keep calm"?
Eventually some part of your brain is going to start thinking, "Holy (expletive), Rattlesnake! I'm gonna loose an extremity! I'm gonna die! What's going to happen to my family? Why did I even come ...
- 5,188
34
votes
First aid: alternatives to hydrogen peroxide
Water.
The American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid courses in 2021 recommend irrigating wounds with at least a liter of potable water, using an irrigation syringe. If you don't have enough potable ...
- 1,144
25
votes
How do you remove a fishhook from a human?
I disagree greatly with all previous answers. Pushing the hook the rest of the way through is very painful and takes much longer than the method I describe below.
My preferred method is to wrap some ...
- 711
23
votes
How do you remove a fishhook from a human?
Often the best solution is to get some fine nosed pliers and push the point of the hook out and through, making an 'exit wound'. This is often preferable to trying to pull a barbed hook back the way ...
- 6,232
22
votes
I've just been bitten by a rattlesnake; how, exactly, do I "keep calm"?
Practice.
I watched my dad nearly slice his thumb off while cutting wood, in the middle of nowhere in France, with a meat cleaver when I was about 10. He turned to me and said 'Go to your mum, ask ...
19
votes
Accepted
What are the first signs that you are headed for heat exhaustion, and what should you do?
Serious heat related illness in wilderness medicine is broken up into two categories, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
This blog post from NOLS has a pretty good overview of the two (including signs &...
- 4,073
18
votes
Accepted
Is whiskey a good disinfectant?
This was done on the American Frontier, and during the American Civil War. According to this journal from the American Medical Association printed in 1893, it is a good antiseptic. Apparently, alcohol ...
- 69.4k
18
votes
Duct tape as adhesive bandage
Yes you can. Just be aware that Duct tape is very sticky in comparison to regular medical tape, so when you go to peel it off, it puts a lot more stress on the healing wound and is likely to re-open ...
- 11.3k
16
votes
Is whiskey a good disinfectant?
Is whiskey a good disinfectant in an emergency situation while in the outdoors?
Ideally any strong alcohol, whether whiskey, vodka, tequila or some other strong liquor should not be used to clean ...
- 9,609
16
votes
First aid: alternatives to hydrogen peroxide
When someone is so badly injured that they need immediate professional medical treatment, and you are able to get them that treatment within a day, then wound disinfection isn't a priority. Infections ...
- 973
12
votes
How do you remove a fishhook from a human?
The usual place this happens is a finger, ear, occasional other places.
If you are close to town, and have good insurance by all means, tape it in place to minimize movement, and go see a doctor. I'...
- 12.1k
12
votes
Accepted
How do you remove leeches from your eyeball?
This story says that a saline solution was used and it was not pulled off.
Dr Fogg says tweezers were not an option as simply pulling the leech off could leave its head lodged in the eyeball, ...
- 69.4k
12
votes
I've just been bitten by a rattlesnake; how, exactly, do I "keep calm"?
Know what to do
Make an effort to know how to deal with the risks of <activity>
The most important thing I learn when I attend first aid courses is not the treatment of the injury, but knowing ...
- 221
12
votes
Accepted
What to do if someone gets impaled in the stomach?
To quote from the Wilderness First Responder manual,
Large objects found impaled in a wound should be left in place if you can get to a medical facility with relative ease. Yanking on an object can ...
- 69.4k
12
votes
What first aid steps should you take for someone who faints after being injured in the cold rain?
Send someone to get help, even if it's hours away. The casualty's life may depend on it.
Someone needs to grab a phone and start walking. They should check periodically for signal, including at ...
- 27k
11
votes
Accepted
Can sanitary pads be a better alternate to gauze to reduce or stop bleeding?
They'd be a decent substitute (and indeed may be carried when first aid supplies aren't, or available to buy in smaller shops), but proper dressings (not merely gauze) would be better for several ...
- 27k
10
votes
Accepted
What first aid can be done for Crab Bite?
First control the bleeding with gauze or a cloth and light pressure
Elevate the foot
Clean with soap and water
Apply an antiseptic
You can get single packs
Bandage/bandaid(plaster) if necessary
If ...
- 7,184
9
votes
How do you remove a fishhook from a human?
I have seen a doctor perform the removal of a hook embedded in the skin. As most have pointed out, the first best thing is medical attention I won't dare argue against that sound advice. But, one ...
8
votes
How do I avoid leeches?
I know this is a bit late, but having had a lot of experience with leeches makes me believe I can add some value here.
Salt works for both avoiding and for removing leeches. The method to apply is ...
- 7,825
8
votes
Is it safe to use denatured alcohol as an antiseptic?
I'm a physician. High proof alcohol – be it ethanol or rubbing – causes osmotic bursting of cells – like distilled water – and hurts like Hell. It is only suitable for surfaces,...
- 97
8
votes
Accepted
Is there any evidence that suction devices are helpful for snake bites?
There are two studies I could find on this,
Conclusion
The Sawyer Extractor pump removed bloody fluid from our simulated snakebite wounds but removed virtually no mock venom, which suggests ...
- 69.4k
8
votes
Duct tape as adhesive bandage
Given your comment that you want to replace an adhesive bandage, rather than medical tape:
Yes, you can use duct tape + CLEAN cloth for this, but you can do a few things to make it more pleasant.
Cut ...
- 1,297
7
votes
How should you treat an open wound in the backcountry?
First of all you need to control what is life threatening. Control the bleed. Lay them down and elevate the wound if necessary. Apply sterile dressings (or the closest thing you have to sterile). ...
- 7,184
7
votes
I've just been bitten by a rattlesnake; how, exactly, do I "keep calm"?
Meditation has been mentioned, let me expand on it.
There are certain techniques of meditation (namely Vipassana) which are in no way mystic or magical, but work quite like a sort of maintenance for ...
- 1,928
7
votes
First aid: alternatives to hydrogen peroxide
Having perused my well read copy of NOLS Wilderness Medicine (available e.g. through NOLS), there is no mention of hydrogen peroxide use at all. The only two things mentioned for wound cleaning are (1)...
- 2,388
7
votes
Can sanitary pads be a better alternate to gauze to reduce or stop bleeding?
There are two key issues that limit the utility of pads, tampons, or similar feminine hygiene products for dressing a wound:
They are generally not designed to stop bleeding, only absorb fluids.
They ...
7
votes
Accepted
What first aid steps should you take for someone who faints after being injured in the cold rain?
Note that I am a student of wilderness first aid, not a teacher.
However, what you describe sounds like a serious life or death situation and not a time to worry about social norms.
I advise you, and ...
- 4,124
6
votes
Accepted
How should you treat an open wound in the backcountry?
A good wilderness first-aid reference is included below to give you a better grasp on how to handle different wounds. Here's some key points for a wound like a knife wound you described. Note that the ...
- 4,013
6
votes
Who to contact for a bird with broken wing in Portugal, Algarve?
The numbers I've called on the slim chance they are helpful for someone else in the future even though they did not work for me sadly:
1) SOS Environment Line (SEPNA / GNR) 808 200 520
2) The ...
- 151
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible