2024 International Mountain Medicine Symposium Schedule Below
2024 International Mountain Medicine Symposium Schedule
This Year’s Schedule is now Posted!
Please be aware that the schedule, much like anything in life, is at the mercy of the greater forces and events around us.
The agenda below may be subject to change.
As we rethink our approach and recalibrate our utilization of AvSAR decision making matrices we should consider frameworks which lead to dialogue rather than mathematical answers. Through substantive conversations, AvSAR teams have the best chance to address the difficult question: Do we GO? Do we HOLD? Do we decide it’s a NO GO?
This presentation will examine pitfalls in communication and crew resource management in SAR and aviation. We will discuss specific aviation and SAR accidents, some of which have been publicized in the media. We will analyze how crews demonstrated good and not-so-good methods of working as a team. Participants will learn how to use their personal strengths to function well as a SAR and aviation crew member.
A backcountry Q&A hosted in-person by one of Silverton’s regional HEMS services. This will take place out at Silverton’s in-town helicopter LZ (weather permitting).
A rescue case study demonstrate effectiveness of bleeding control applications to include, direct pressure and tourniquet application. The goal is to improve patient care in the field.
Paragliding is an increasingly popular sport in the US and around the world. Modern paragliders are allowing us to fly farther more safely than ever before but more people in the air means more accidents. Learn how and why paraglider pilots get injured and how to better care for them.
This presentation discusses a critical-thinking approach to treating and transporting patients who have suffered high-mechanism trauma in the backcountry with possible spinal injury.
A review of current guidelines of C spine motion restriction and the impact snow rescue has on implementation of these current guidelines.
Harness suspension stress (HSS) is a rare, but potentially fatal complication of hanging motionless in a harness. It is critical for prehospital medical providers in the mountainous environment to be able to identify and appropriately manage patients experiencing HSS.
In the wilderness our supplies are often very limited. Finding versatile ways to use a single tool is key to being able to care for people with only what we can carry on our backs. Learn some untraditional ways to use common supplies and share your favorites MacGyver techniques (feel free to bring supplies for show and tell).
A presentation highlighting High Altitude Illness considerations in austerity.
Understanding the concerning mechanisms of injury and the importance of early recognition, signs and symptoms, and also treatment of compartment syndrome.
This presentation will instruct the participant on traditional forms of SAR risk management (definitions, ICS, GAR), as well as, introduce the concept of operational mindset as a risk management tool.
A unique military civilian collaboration changing search and rescue in Colorado.
Not provided for by Symposium
Continuing the movement to improve rescuer mental health and longevity.
A deep dive into the care of drowning patients from immediate stabilization in the field to the basics of emergency department care.
The term “Critical Thinking” is overused and misunderstood in EMS. What does it actually mean? In this session, we will attempt to illustrate the concept of critical thinking in a practical manner.
A workshop walking through case studies which highlight the rare but invaluable need for understanding of pulmonary mechanics and ventilator use in a setting with no places to plug in an extension cord…
It is recommended you bring your own lunch if attending.
Prehospital helicopter patient packaging seems simple, but doing it properly when a life is on the line during hot operations takes, skill, artistry and a grasp on physiology of the human body. In this hands-on demonstration we’ll learn how to prep and package with the help of our own helicopter present to help instill these lessons.
It is recommended you bring your lunch if attending.
This demonstration and workshop opportunity for hands-on practice will provide participants with information on how to gain rope access to a patient in technical terrain.
Registration is limited to 10 participants.
It is recommended you bring your own lunch if attending.
A discussion of heat related illness, treatment, and risk factors at altitude.
In the last ten years, EMS has seen fundamental changes in the best practices of bleeding control. Old tools like tourniquets have joined new ones like hemostatic gauze and tranexamic acid in the arsenal of providers. At the same time, new prescription anti-coagulant medications have changed the landscape of bleeding control. In this presentation we will describe the physiology behind bleeding and clotting and contextualize the available tools in field practice.
A water-based workshop on whitewater safety and rescue techniques.
Registration limited to 12 participants.
This workshop geared to austere environments encompasses comprehensive training to prepare providers to see eFAST in theory, perform an eFAST, and test their eFAST knowledge with an assessment.
Registration is Limited to 20 Participants
A hands-on workshop for splinting extremities in extremis.
We will explore the challenges and strategies involved in managing multiple patients in a backcountry setting. Focusing on practical, real-world applications, we will discuss triage principles, resource allocation, communication tactics, evacuation planning, and improvised care techniques when standard medical infrastructure is unavailable.
HEMS Pilot Pemba Sherpa shares a collection of stories highlighting lessons for SAR providers from his career of flying rescue missions in Nepal.
A presentation on the history of Silverton’s SAR and EMS forebears and the challenging path that was taken to unite the two into Silverton Medical Rescue: a unique ambulance service providing advanced medicine to an isolated mountain community, all the while responsible for SAR operations in one of Colorado’s most austere settings.
Here we will discuss current recommendations regarding the decision to terminate resuscitation efforts in the mountain rescue care setting. We will use the ICAR MedCom 2023 recommendations as a framework.
A presentation on the individual’s neuroendocrine response to psychological stress and how best to mitigate it for yourself and coworkers.
A session that focuses on inspiring and motivating others to understand the importance of health and wellness and to take action to be the best version of themselves through hard work and discipline.
We take a look through the retrospectacles at a series of published cases in which field ultrasound might possibly have had an impact in the treatment, patient outcome, or even career of the care provider.
This 2-day hands-on workshop is structured for mountain rescue personnel committed to developing and reinforcing their technical rope rescue skills in a variety of challenging terrain settings. Our primary emphasis in this team-oriented overview will be exploring select rigging options and techniques that are safe, timely, efficient, and most importantly gentle on the patient and rescuers. In addition, a critical thinking hands-on approach in introducing the “whys” behind safe, timely and efficient rope rescue rigging and systems analysis based on the rules of physics will be the hallmark of this workshop.
Much of our time will be spent in realistic, practical, and challenging terrain settings in and around the Silverton area. Workshop size is limited to 12 students. Sign up early as this workshop will fill up quickly! Learn More
This 2-day hands-on workshop is structured for mountain rescue personnel committed to developing and reinforcing their technical rope rescue skills in a variety of challenging terrain settings. Our primary emphasis in this team-oriented overview will be exploring select rigging options and techniques that are safe, timely, efficient, and most importantly gentle on the patient and rescuers. In addition, a critical thinking hands-on approach in introducing the “whys” behind safe, timely and efficient rope rescue rigging and systems analysis based on the rules of physics will be the hallmark of this workshop.
Much of our time will be spent in realistic, practical, and challenging terrain settings in and around the Silverton area. Workshop size is limited to 12 students. Sign up early as this workshop will fill up quickly! Learn More
Please be aware that the schedule is subject to change.
This course has been approved for Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) credits through the Wilderness Medical Society.
Actual credits awarded depend on personal credit needs and history.
