Triaging Multiple Victims in an Avalanche Setting: The Avalanche Survival Optimizing Rescue Triage Algorithmic Approach
✍ Scribed by Lee B. Bogle; Jeff J. Boyd; Kyle A. McLaughlin
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 223 KB
- Volume
- 21
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1080-6032
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
As winter backcountry activity increases, so does exposure to avalanche danger. A complicated situation arises when multiple victims are caught in an avalanche and where medical and other rescue demands overwhelm resources in the field. These mass casualty incidents carry a high risk of morbidity and mortality, and there is no recommended approach to patient care specific to this setting other than basic first aid principles. The literature is limited with regard to triaging systems applicable to avalanche incidents. In conjunction with the development of an electronic avalanche rescue training module by the Canadian Avalanche Association, we have designed the Avalanche Survival Optimizing Rescue Triage algorithm to address the triaging of multiple avalanche victims to optimize survival and disposition decisions.