Re: [Philmont]: Suture Kit

RE: [Philmont]: Suture KitWally, have a great trek!

I have to wait until next year :-(

Alan Hamm
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Feurtado, Walter (Contractor)
  To: Multiple recipients of list philmont
  Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 7:52 AM
  Subject: RE: [Philmont]: Suture Kit

  OK. I do not want to beat this to death because all sides have seemingly weighed in so I will give a non-related Health Lodge story.

  Last year I burnt myself after completing my trek and had second degree burns on my right thumb. I went to the health lodge where someone from the medical staff introduced himself and said, "I am a fourth year medical student from Kansas and I have never treated a burn. But I am studying oncology and know how to treat pain." He left the room and a doctor showed up for a nanosecond. Then the fourth year student returned with four percasets offering me two of them. I told him that I do not like drugs but insisted on me taking at least 1 pill. Well, in an hour, I had absolutely no pain in any part of my body!!! Even the sore places on my feet had no pain when walking!!! The crew commented that I was a bit giddy. When I was at the advisor's lounge calling my wife and telling her what had happened and what the wonder drug "percaset" had done, the advisor next to me leaned over and asked if I had an extra one for him!!!

  For the purists, the fourth year medical student did cover the wound with neosporin and bandage it properly. When my personal physisian reviewed his work, my doctor was pleased with what the University of Kansas student did had done.

  I hope this ends the suture kit thread!!!

  Off to Philmont tomorrow!!!

  Wally Feurtado
  Philmont Training Coordinator
  National Capital Area Council

  -----Original Message-----
  From: Wade Steenburgh [mailto:steenburgh@letterboxes.org]
  Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 3:28 PM
  To: Multiple recipients of list philmont
  Subject: RE: [Philmont]: Suture Kit

  On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 12:22:00 -0400, "Feurtado, Walter (Contractor)"
  <Walter.Feurtado@ed.gov> said:
> do chuckle a bit because the original question was raised by someone
> representing a PHYSICIAN who wanted to know if a suture kit would be wise
> in the back country.

  I've learned from personal experience not to trust emergency medical work
  performed by someone, simply because they are a PHYSICIAN. I've had the
  unfortunate experience of a doctor closing a wound on a boy without
  properly cleaning the wound. This doctor was a surgeon. But not a
  practitioner in emergency medicine. When I ran across the boy the next
  day, the wound was very red and sore. We took the boy in for treatment
  at the local family practice where the wound was cleaned. Unfortunately
  at this late point in time it could not be sutured. I believe the
  protocol is that it must be sutured in the first eight hours. After
  that, the risk of infection is high and other means must be used to seal
  the wound.

  If it looks like it might need stitches, it probably should be checked
  out by someone who does it for a living.

  --
    Wade Steenburgh
    steenburgh@letterboxes.org

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Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
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Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
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List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------

 
Received on Tue Jun 24 07:24:36 2003