Determining medical factors in ravine rescues

摘要

Canyoning is an outdoor adventure activity which has become increasingly popular over the last fifteen years and the number of accidents has also regularly increased over this same period. The main pathology encountered tends to be lower limb injuries, although there are also more serious accidents involving drowning, head and spinal injuries, or polytraumatisms. Hypothermia is a factor that often causes additional problems for victims. The nature of the environment (cold air, high levels of humidity, difficult access) influences the different stages of the rescue (such as raising the alert, locating the victim, medical assessment, preparing and evacuating the injured party, and coordination of the medico-technical resources) and means that "traditional" non-hospital medicine will need to be adapted accordingly. The doctor must be skilled both technically (so as to work safely in water) and medically (so as to be able to make a sufficiently accurate diagnosis and prepare the victim, maintaining his/her vital functions, for evacuation to the most appropriate hospital), the aim being to ensure that the victim spends as little time as possible in this hostile environment. Factors such as watertightness, portability and weight will influence the medico-technical equipment which can be used in such situations.