IN the last edition of the Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, we discussed the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system and respiratory medical emergencies. In this issue, we will continue our discussion by focusing on chest trauma. Some traumatic injuries to the chest, such as a flail chest or traumatic asphyxia, though uncommon, are life-threatening. While others, like a fractured clavicle or rib, are very common, yet can still be very serious or even life-threatening. Any traumatic injury to the chest cavity should be considered serious until proven otherwise.
ISSN-1059-6518
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We breathe in. We breathe out. A dramatic, amazing, perfectly engineered process takes place inside our bodies twelve times each minute, and we hardly even notice.
Before you read any further, do this little experiment. Grab a drinking straw and then get your heart really pumping—run up and down several flights of stairs or sprint across the yard a couple of times. Make yourself good and winded. Now, put the straw in your mouth and breathe through it. Just the straw. Pinch your nose so you don’t cheat. And wait for the panic to set in.
Do we have your attention now? Good. Take the straw out, breathe normally, and read on.
ISSN-1059-6518
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