The Wilderness Medicine Society has granted the Extreme Medicine Conference 32.25 credits towards the Fellowship of Wilderness Medicine if all 4 days of the conference are attended
The Academy of Wilderness Medicine is a modular system of adult education that organizes the broad range of information in the discipline of Wilderness Medicine. It delivers them in a professionally packaged, standardized fashion according to modern concepts of medical education using objectives as the basis for learning experiences and outcomes evaluation where appropriate.
The most visible of the Academy’s modular programs, and the one that promises to be the most popular, is the Fellowship program (Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine TM or FAWM). This initiative offers a means to identify those who have achieved a demanding set of requirements validating their training and experience in Wilderness Medicine for the assurances of patients, clients, and the public at large. Society members enroll in the Academy and, by completing lessons from a pre-established Wilderness Medicine curriculum as well as receiving credit for specefic, indentiable experience; accumulate credit toward becoming a Fellow.
Any current member of the Wilderness Medical Society who successfully completes the requirements will have the distinction of being a registered member of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and entitled to use the designation Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) and may reference it on resumes, business cards, and advertisements.
Feedback on our recent Polar Medicine training course in Norway has clearly affected some of the course delegates by creating a need for ‘biggles-speak’…
PapaFoxtrot calling Red Leaders AlphaHotel, AlphaCharlie, DeltaBravo, Bravo and Delta
Congrats on recent Operation Polar Bear
Wizard week
No prangs
Best ever
Location stunning
Bunks and chow excellent
Red Leaders all SPLENDID
Hope all returned to base safely
Please pass on to all members of Polar Bear as don’t have call signs
Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Comparison of Acetazolamide Versus Ibuprofen for Prophylaxis Against High Altitude Headache: The Headache Evaluation at Altitude Trial (HEAT)
High altitude headache (HAH) is the most common neurological complaint at altitude and the defining component of acute mountain sickness (AMS). However, there is a paucity of literature concerning its prevention. The researchers sought to compare the effectiveness of ibuprofen and acetazolamide for the prevention of HAH.
Three hundred forty-three healthy western trekkers were recruited at altitudes of 4280 m and 4358 m and assigned to receive ibuprofen 600 mg, acetazolamide 85 mg, or placebo 3 times daily before continued ascent to 4928 m. Outcome measures included headache incidence and severity, AMS incidence and severity on the Lake Louise AMS Questionnaire (LLQ), and visual analog scale (VAS).
Two hundred sixty-five of 343 subjects completed the trial. HAH incidence was similar when treated with acetazolamide (27.1%) or ibuprofen (27.5%; P = .95), and both agents were significantly more effective than placebo (45.3%; P = .01). AMS incidence was similar when treated with acetazolamide (18.8%) or ibuprofen (13.7%; P = .34), and both agents were significantly more effective than placebo (28.6%; P = .03). In fully compliant participants, moderate or severe headache incidence was similar when treated with acetazolamide (3.8%) or ibuprofen (4.7%; P = .79), and both agents were significantly more effective than placebo (13.5%; P = .03).
Fascinatingly the authors demonstrated that Ibuprofen and acetazolamide are similarly effective in preventing HAH. This adds another medication to the useful arsenal to use in the treatment of AMS and in particular is especially useful when you have a patient who can’t take acetazolamide (diabetics or sulphur allergies) .
Feedback from delegates in our unique Desert Medicine medical training course in Namibia is feedback enough but the Wilderness Medical Society has also awarded it 20.5 CME points.
‘I had a fantastic time and feel like I learnt a lot. I will definitely be signing up for more courses and recommending the courses to people I know!’ Desert course participant.
Developed for medical professionals or advanced medics working in hot or arid climates. The Desert Medicine Course aims to introduce participants to the skills required to be a valuable member of a desert expeditionary team, and to care for and treat injuries and illness likely to occur in this fascinating environment.
Our Desert Medicine Course is based in Damaraland, an area bounded to the south by the spectacular Namib Desert, to the east by the Kalahari, Ovamboland to the North and the world famous Skeleton Coast to the west. Located near the famous Doros Crater, a massive volcanic crater formed over 140 million years ago. Our training area is a stunning region, remote from civilisation, inhabited by an array of desert adapted flora and fauna and with some of the most remarkable night skies in the world. As a result of the recent changes in wildlife management in Namibia, the Doros Crater has been chosen as the region in which the endangered white rhinos are being released. It is a very exciting location inhabited by elephants, hyena, giraffe, rhinos, cheetahs and occasionally lions. It is almost unique in Namibia and for this reason we have endeavoured and been allowed to gain access to this virtually uninhabited area. Its the perfect location for our desert course.
Expedition Medicines Mountain Medicine course in along the Everest Base Camp Trail in Nepal led by expedition doctor’s Luanne Freer and Amy Hughes and Everest Expedition Leader Nick Arding OBE has been formally accredited by the Wilderness Medical Society for 22.5 CME points.
Nick Arding will be joining Expedition Medicines Mountain Medicine course on the Everest Base Camp Trail along with Dr’s Luanne Freer of Everest ER and Amy Hughes of Kent HEM’s service in October on what promises to be an amazing CME accredited course*.
Nick served as an officer in the Royal Marines for 22 years, travelling and climbing widely during that time. In ‘92 he took part in the British Annapurna 2 Expedition and in ‘93 led his own trip to climb the West Buttress of Mt McKinley in Alaska. He commanded the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines from 2003 to 2005.
In 2003 Nick led a Royal Navy expedition to climb Everest by its North Ridge; not only did they climb the mountain but his team were instrumental in rescuing two other climbers from above 8000m, the highest mountain rescue on record and for which he was awarded the Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal.
A keen rock climber and mountaineer since his teens, Nick holds the Mountaineering Instructor (MI) and International Mountain Leader (MIA) awards.He left the Royal Marines in 2005 to qualify as a teacher and now works as a leadership coach and management consultant. He has led civilian teams to Mongolia, Nepal and the Alps, and when not working can usually be found on a rock face or in a sea kayak! In 2009 Nick took a team of friends to the Rolwaling Valley in Nepal to attempt an unclimbed mountain called Cheki-go. He has close links with this region, having raised funds to sponsor local Sherpas, three of whom have been able to visit the UK to improve their climbing skills and English language.
Expedition Medicine’s Medical Director Dr Amy Hughes describes her role of the Kent Air Ambulance HEMS doctor to ‘She’ magazine in their December issue
Dr Amy Hughes is currently a specialist registrar in pre-hospital care working for the Helicopter Emergency Medical Team (HEMS) in Kent. She has been involved in expedition medicine for the last 7 years, providing medical cover for all extremes of environments, including developing and leading the medical cover for a desert ultra marathon. She is involved extensively in teaching of expedition medicine and recently took over as medical director of Expedition Medicine. Amy completed the Diploma of Tropical Medicine in 2006, has a European Masters in Disaster Medicine and is en route to gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Aeromedical Retreival.
As Christmas rapidly approaches, getting seemingly whiter and whiter as the snow continues to fall we just wanted to drop you a quick end of year message to firstly thank you a very Happy Christmas and the very best for the New Year.
We have lots on interesting expedition medicine courses planned for 2011 and once you have let all the turkey and mince pies settle you might want to look at our course and expeditions and decide on a new years resolution to get rid of those few excess pounds.
Here is raising our glasses to sleds on the roof, red-nosed reindeers and a fun and stimulating 2011!
Next October sees the inaugural Expedition Medicine Mountain Medicine Course following the route of the Everest Base Camp Trail over period of 16 days based out of Kathmandu. The course will be CME certified for an estimated 20 points.
Expedition Medicine’s Mountain Medicine course in the Khumbu Valley in Nepal headed by Drs Luanne Freer MD FAWM and Dr Amy Hughes Medical Director of Expedition Medicine. Dr Freer many of you will know as the founder and director of Everest ER which is a seasonal tent-based medical clinic at the Everest base camp (17,600 ft/5350m) founded in 2003, a volunteer physician for the nonprofit Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) in Nepal. Luanne, who is also a past president of the Wilderness Medical Society and medical director for the Yellowstone National Park aims to pass on through this mountain medicine course her years of experience of providing medical cover at this altitude as well as her passion for the Khumbu Valley and Nepal in general.
The Nepal Mountain Medicine course will also serve as a fundraiser for Everest ER
The Academy of Wilderness Medicine is a modular system of adult education that organizes the broad range of information in the discipline of Wilderness Medicine. It delivers them in a professionally packaged, standardized fashion according to modern concepts of medical education using objectives as the basis for learning experiences and outcomes evaluation where appropriate.
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