Category: First Aid/Medical

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder which is caused by the narrowing or total occlusion of the airway while sleeping.  The study of sleep using electroencephalogram electrodes, chest and abdominal effort belts, breathing sensors, and blood oxygenation sensors is called polysomnography.  The advent of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines in the 1980s started the home treatment revolution of OSA.  Studies have shown that untreated OSA can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, excessive daytime somnolence, fatigue, occupational accidents, and motor vehicle accidents.  More recent studies have shown that OSA is linked to adult-onset diabetes, fibromyalgia …

Hello, Dr. Koelker presented some great information on surviving a serious burn. One significant issue that wasn’t fully discussed that is potentially more serious in the short term than fluid replacement. If you were to happen upon someone who suffered a serious burn and you determined it was safe for you to proceed and get your hands on the patient, you must verify that the patient has a good airway, i.e.: Can they or are they breathing? If they are making painful noises or yelling you know they do because otherwise they wouldn’t be able to use their voice. However, with …

Dear Editor: I read with interest Dr. Koelker’s description of burn treatment and had two follow-up questions: why is the issue of fluid replacement at the top of the treatment list, and of such critical importance to a burn victim? What causes the fluid loss that can be fatal?A second question: is it necessary to sterilize any water used before preparing the oral rehydration solution she mentions in the article? Thanks for all you do through SurvivalBlog. Peace to you and yours. – G.R. in Texas Doc Cindy Replies: Fluid replacement is at the top of the list for several …

Mr. Rawles, I always read your site with interest, especially the medical advice that is written by Dr. Koelker and others, as this is my area of expertise. Dr. Koelker’s article regarding burn care made very brief mention of a technique called hypodermoclysis as an alternative method for intravenous infusion of fluids in the event of a severe burn. Essentially, hypodermoclysis involves using a regular IV catheter to infuse fluids into the patient’s subcutaneous tissue. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a replacement for IV fluids in the case she uses as an example. It appears that the maximum amount of fluids …

How large must a burn be to kill you?  How is a burn fatal anyway?  Is there anything you can do to improve your odds? Lacking an emergency response system, you’ll be on your own if you cook yourself on a heating pad, or catch your clothes on fire, or spill hot coffee down your pants while driving.  What would now be referred to a burn unit for specialized care may require home treatment when it’s the only option. Without skin, you die.  The danger of burns is related to the function of the skin.  Normally the skin “keeps the …

Disclaimer: I am a retired military officer and school teacher.  I have no formal medical or first aid training.  My recommendations are made based on anecdotal personal experience.  Nothing I recommend should be undertaken without first consulting with a physician.   When there is no medicine. Preppers have usually read and probably own copies of well-respected books having to do with post-TEOTWAWKI conditions in which medical and dental care are not available.  Most of us have accumulated some knowledge of what medicines to stockpile, their uses, and shelf-lives.  After persuading a physician to write prescriptions for the desired medicinals, some have …

James, Rehydration can still be accomplished when a person cannot take anything by mouth. Normally he would be given an IV. In a SHTF situation, this may not be possible. Rather one can fill an enema bag with normal saline (very dilute salt water-recipe on the internet-need not be sterile) attach a rubber urinary catheter to the enema tip, Using vaseline jelly feed the rubber catheter into the rectum carefully as not to pierce the bowel and let the tepid salt water very slowly drip in. It should be able to be absorbed because it is going in very slowly and a little higher up rather than being …

I would first like to thank you and all of the previous posters on this blog. I have been an avid reader for a few years now and I have learned immeasurably from you all. Dehydration can be a problem for individuals in the first world today, and a massive problem for those in the third world. In a post collapse situation, life for us in America and the rest of the first world countries could look more like the latter. There are many causes for dehydration, from working outside in the heat and sweating out fluids to a serious …

JWR:| That was an excellent article on triage of patients in a mass casualty incident (MCI), which is also known as a multiple casualty incident. I was taught in EMT school that an MCI is any event that my truck can’t handle by itself, or an incident that overwhelms currently available resources because of the number of patients involved. Slightly tangentially, in class one day we were talking about organ donors and I volunteered the information that I haven’t signed up as a donor. There’s no donor info on my driver’s license. However, my wife and family members have been …