• Happy International Mermaid Day! 🧜🏼‍♀️

Online wilderness first aid class? Experience and/or comments?

This is a sideline, but just to spread the word, the FDA has begun proceedings to approve the use of Narcan as an OTC medication. I found this info on the Psychiatric Times website.

To encourage sponsor application for over-the counter naloxone, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued a Federal Register notice, “Safety and Effectiveness of Certain Naloxone Hydrochloride Drug Products for Nonprescription Use,” that could help facilitate the development and potential approval of nonprescription naloxone drugs.1


“Today’s action supports our efforts to combat the opioid overdose crisis by helping expand access to naloxone,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD. “The agency will keep overdose prevention and reduction in substance use disorders as a key priority and area of intense strategic focus for action as rapidly as possible.”


The notice states that naloxone drug products up to 4 mg nasal spray and up to 2 mg autoinjector for intramuscular or subcutaneous use may be safe and effective for nonprescription use. Although this notice does not mean nonprescription/over-the-counter naloxone is immediately available, it does make application holders aware of the willingness of the FDA to consider nonprescription naloxone drug products. First, the FDA needs additional data, including product-specific data on the user interface design, such as packaging and labeling.


This is not the first step the FDA has taken to improve access to naloxone. In September, the FDA issued guidance to clarify that certain Drug Supply Chain Security Act requirements do not apply to naloxone distribution to harm reduction programs during the Opioid Public Health Emergency.


“The agency remains focused on responding to all facets of substance use, misuse, substance use disorders, overdose, and death in the US through the four priorities of the framework, including: supporting primary prevention by eliminating unnecessary initial prescription drug exposure and inappropriate prolonged prescribing; encouraging harm reduction through innovation and education; advancing development of evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders; and protecting the public from unapproved, diverted, or counterfeit drugs presenting overdose risks,” the FDA shared in a new release.

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/vie...ZWxvcy5uZXQ%3D
 
The medical emergencies I have seen on canoe trips are : cuts. Allergic reaction to bee stings. Dehydration. Overheating. Hypothermia. Failure to eat on a hard day; ie hypoglycemia. Its a wonder how cooling down or warming up and feeding oneself liquid and long lasting carbs and proteins can help alleviate a situation. The Epi pen is something the layman can use.. Or help the person who needs to use it , has it, but is afraid to self administer. Narcan admin is easy and useful. I suppose these days you never know what people will ingest in the woods.

Most of these do not require mannequins to practice on, at least I never had them in the old days.. We learned to control bleeding without any actual bleeding limbs. We had textbooks in medic school. Of course we had to recertify every two years as the State required it for us to be able to practice paramedicine, ( was a paramedic for over two decades)

CPR and use of an automatic defibrillator are best practiced with mannequins and equipment.

The Fire Department idea I can't discourage though my FD had a tough time just keeping training current for its members, of course liability issues required it.. We had two training sessions... every week. As a medic I was required to have 45 hours continuing ed every year plus refresher courses in ACLS and PALS and of course CPR.

The American Heart Association and American Red Cross both offer courses. The wilderness setting is different in two aspects.. time and equipment.. PPines incident illustrates this.. It was just not get the Hare traction on and go and be in the OR in two hours.

My very first wilderness emergency was just after I got my first certification in Basic First Aid..On the Allagash a man had taken the end of his finger off while slicing a sausage.. All it required was a basic knowledge not to faint, not to say "eew" and to hold the finger up, apply direct pressure with gauze, keep adding gauze, roller gauze the pads in place and ....

communication.. The ranger was there so we had communication..

Remember even if you have no communication, all bleeding stops.

Its way better to stop it sooner. Have a communication device.

Merry Christmas. I am going to have Christmas Eve dinner with some current and former medics
I am sure Jesus will come up.. Some years back when we were on duty on Christmas Eve, Jesus Garcia hit a phone pole head on at 70 mph while eating McDonalds fries ..

We had pizza after that call. Yes we were and are bizarre.
 
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