backcountry emergency toboggan

[AltaPowderDaze]

I've used it in practice and it didn't work very well. No way you should be doing that with a patient that needs c-spine precuations.

i think you'd have to take your chances with someones possibly unstable spine than wait for them to bleed out from a solid organ. but i guess it all depends on the circumstances (ie. where are you, how can you get to help and what's currently killing the patient).

[LeeLau]

never been in neg 50 in Juneau - more likely to be 50

that was tongue in cheek - thought you guys insulate your ducttape with seal fat?

[~mikey b]

i think you'd have to take your chances with someones possibly unstable spine than wait for them to bleed out from a solid organ. but i guess it all depends on the circumstances (ie. where are you, how can you get to help and what's currently killing the patient).

yep - it all depends

Although if it was critical, they'd likely bleed out long before you ever got the thing built, let alone tried to haul them out.

[Lurch]

IMHO it's much better to tour in groups of 3 - 4. Leave one person to care for the injured and send the other for help. All the time you are waisting getting the sled together and dragging the person through rolling terrain could be spent getting trained rescuers to the injured person.

That being said if the person was skiing terrain steep enough to cause serious injury they are probably stuck in a bad spot. So someone is going to have to go out there and rig something to get them to safety. Guess what has just happened if there are only two of you and a slide hit!

[rideit]

On another note, I might be rolling with a sat-phone this winter. That or a long range FS walkie talkie.

[skiJ]

^ important Stuff : back to the Top^ J

[summit]

1. Pt /w suspected cspine injury: you can make a great c-collar from a sam splint and then...

2. Pt /w suspected spine injury in general: improvise a litter out of backpacks, ski poles, webbing, secure litter to improvised tobbogan (properly place padded waist belts assist c-spine immobilization

As for telemike and APDs discussion on moving such a patient with less than ideal immobilization... what is going to kill them first? What is going to kill them for sure? (will moving them make that worse too?)

Never carry your patient with their head downhill

3. sat phones are REALLY good (if you can get signal and you know where you are)

4. The improvised rescue toboggan pictured is very nicely explained. In real life, they suck ass:

On anything steep, they are very hard to control.
On anything flat, they are very hard to move in soft snow.
If the patient has to be secured to the toboggan, it can overturn and take some time to reflip.
If the patient is not secured to the toboggan, they can be ejected possibly causing further injury.

If you've ever tried to use one, it sucks. It is really only a last resort. Just as in summer, building a nice improvised litter or stretcher is not that difficult, but most people have no idea just how hard it is to carry someone out on foot, even over short distances, even with 6 litter attendants.

As Lurch said, skiing with groups of three and good communications is much much better idea.

[mday]

As Lurch said, skiing with groups of three and good communications is much much better idea.

Damn. Did you have to wait until I finished drilling holes in all my ski tips before posting this?

[hutash]

Here is another version from Ortovox using a shovel. It is a scan from a booklet, hope it is clear.