Tag: environmental

• SCUBA Diving Emergencies (November 5, 2022)
  

  Introduction According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association 2015 report, there are approximately three million people who engage in scuba diving-related activities in the United States every year, and more than nine million people identify themselves as recreational divers. The incidence of diving-related accidents has increased steadily with the increase in divers.  Despite the […]

• Electrical Injuries ()
  

  Introduction Electrical injuries, a relatively common form of mechanical trauma, can occur as a result of lightning, low-voltage, or high-voltage injury, and are often associated with high morbidity and mortality. Almost all electrical injuries are accidental and often, preventable. If not instantly fatal, the damage associated with electrical injuries can result in the dysfunction of […]

• Decompression Sickness ()
  

  Introduction As any person ventures into an increased pressure environment, they begin to absorb the inert gasses in their breathing media in proportion to the percentage of each gas inspired (Dalton’s law). In the air, the bulk of the inert gas is nitrogen (approximately 78%), and the gas is absorbed based on the amount of […]

• Bee & Wasp Stings ()
  

  Introduction The Hymenoptera order includes over 150,000 different species of flying and non-flying insects. Some species within this order have modified ovipositors (female reproductive organs) which can also act as stingers. Hymenopteran stings only cause local inflammation in most people. However, they also account for the largest percentage of envenomation-related deaths in the United States. […]

• Brown Recluse Spider Bite ()
  

  Introduction In the United States, Loxosceles reclusa or brown recluse spiders are found mostly in the south, west, and midwest areas. They are usually in dark areas such as under rocks, in the bark of dead trees, attics, basements, cupboards, drawers, boxes, bedsheets, or similar locations. Dermonecrotic arachnidism is the local tissue injury that results from brown recluse spider envenomation, while […]

• Black Widow Spider Bites ()
  

  Introduction The black widow spider species, also known by its biological nomenclature as the Latrodectus species is one of more than 40,000 different species of spiders. Clinically, it is one of most significant species of spiders worldwide. Within the United States, it is responsible for most of the clinically significant envenomation among all species of spiders. There are more […]

• Snake Bites ()
  

  Introduction Snakebites are responsible for a significant degree of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in low resource countries. There are over 600 identified species of venomous snakes worldwide, with the majority belonging to the Viperidae and Elapidae families. Common names among the Viperidae family are vipers, pit vipers, and adders. Distinguishing features of the Viperidae […]

• Venomous Snakes ()
  

  Venomous snakes found in the United States include rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths/water moccasins, and coral snakes. A venomous bite is called an “envenomation.” Although death from venomous snake bites is rare, a worker with a severe envenomation or allergy to snake venom can die from a venomous bite. Each year, an estimated 7,000–8,000 people are bitten […]

• Heat Exhaustion vs Heat Cramps ()
  

  During extremely hot and humid weather, your body’s ability to cool itself is challenged. When the body heats too rapidly to cool itself properly, or when too much fluid or salt is lost through dehydration or sweating, body temperature rises and you or someone you care about may experience a heat-related illness. It is important […]

• Heat Injuries ()
  

  The disorders of hyperthermia, also known as heat-related injury or illness, exist on a continuum, which is marked by dysregulation of the body’s thermoregulatory capacity. This condition can vary both in presentation and in severity, from benign conditions, including heat cramps and heat edema, to life-threatening hyperthermia, also known as heatstroke. It is essential to be able to […]