Primal Quest Dispatch #5: Medical Evacuation
By Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P, WEMT, Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC
EMSResponder.com Contributor
Greg Friese reports on Friday, June 30 about the most serious medical problem encountered so far during the Primal Quest 2006 race – a case of severe heat stroke, necessitating the immediate rescue and evacuation of an unresponsive racer with a temperature of 104 degrees.
Greg describes the response to the patient by himself and the race’s medical director, beginning with an impressive canyon landing by their rescue helicopter pilot.He describes the issues involved in gaining access to the patient, the supplies they brought, and what they found upon arrival at the scene, including details of the patient assessment and care already provided by race team members.
Greg goes on to explain the seriousness of the patient’s condition, the interventions provided by the medical team and details of the evacuation. He also shares additional information about heat stroke and its potential consequences, and provides an update on the racer’s treatment and condition.
Watch for additional podcasts from Greg Friese straight from the field, and watch for his related feature, “An EMS Adventure: Providing Medical Care for the Primal Quest Adventure Race,” in the September issue of EMS Magazine.