Small Volume Therapy in Mountain Rescue

Introduction

Volume therapy in trauma patients in the mountain environment entails several problems that have to be taken into account properly to be of benefit for the patient. Hypothermia is present in nearly every trauma patient in the mountains irrespective of the season. Large amounts of could iv-solutions precipitate a drop of core temperature. Due to cold ambient temperature, restricted and time consuming access to IV sites, and difficult rescue maneuvers/ transportation in rough terrain, the application and management of iv-lines in a rescue situation must be handled differently than in the normal setting.

Therefore, small volume resuscitation (SVR) with hypertonic solutions might be especially favorable for volume therapy in the mountain setting because of:

1. Low volume and weight

2. Can be kept warm more easily

3. Very short time of administration (3-5 minutes)

4. Highly effective within minutes

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Please look at the attached file for the complete recommendation!