wilderness medicine wilderness medicine wilderness medicine is a medical specialty concerned with medical care in remote, wilderness and expedition environments. the specialty includes prior planning, public health issues, a number of sub-specialties as well as responding to emergencies. one modern definition of wilderness medicine is "medical care delivered in those areas where fixed or transient geographic challenges reduce the availability of, or alter requirements for, medical or patient movement resources". wilderness medicinesynonymsexpedition medicine, austere medicine, remote medicinesubdivisionsexpedition medicine military medicine diving medicine aviation medicinesignificant diseasesaltitude sickness dysbarism envenomation heat related illnesses hypothermia major traumasignificant testspoint of care; ultrasound, blood testsspecialistwilderness medicine physician/clinician this rapidly evolving field is of increasing importance as more people engage in outdoor activities, with more participants coming from the extremes of age, and with more people engaging in high risk activities. the exact aegis of wilderness medicine as a specialty is in constant flux to match the requirements of patients underlying wilderness or remote activities. while wilderness medicine is the preferred terminology for this medical speciality in the united states, terminology such as extreme medicine, remote medicine or expedition expedition, are used internationally. wilderness medicine also overlaps with a number of other medical specialties in terms of knowledge base and scope of practice, these most notable include; pre-hospital emergency medicine, military medicine, humanitarian aid, disaster medicine and public health. the future of extreme, expedition, and wilderness medicine will be defined by both recipients and practitioners, and empirical observations will be transformed by evidence-based practice. unlike wilderness first aid which is focussed on the provision of immediate care to the sick and injured in a wilderness setting, wilderness medicine has a far broader approach. these include but are not limited to: prolonged field care / prolonged casualty care / austere emergency care secondary care follow up in remote settings, such as expeditions or in humanitarian settings the prevention of wilderness medical emergencies, illnesses and illnjuries public health interventions providing critical care medicine in austere environments scope wilderness medicine is a varied sub-specialty, encompassing skills and knowledge from many other specialties. the specific curricula will vary but an example can be seen in the curriculum for fellowship in the academy of wilderness medicine (fawm): scope of practice diving and hyperbaric medicine physics and physiology of depth dive medicine dysbarisms and barotrauma tropical and travel medicine immunizations for travel tick-borne illness, malaria and tropical diseases parasites and protozoal infections in the traveler traveler's diarrhea women's issues in traveling safety and security while traveling travel medicine travel and tropical dermatology fever in the returned traveler viral haemorrhagic fevers stds in the traveler high-altitude and mountaineering medicine physics and physiology of altitude ams, hape and hace the effect of high altitude on underlying medical conditions expedition medicine basic (emergency) field dentistry expedition planning, pre- and post-expedition responsibilities camp safety and layout survival, field craft and equipment survival techniques and equipment water procurement food procurement hiking and trekking foot gear and care of the feet clothing selection for wilderness survival land navigation search and rescue search and rescue theory and practice evacuation of injured persons sports medicine rock climbing ultramarathons endurance sports kayaking / sailing etc. preventive medicine, field sanitation and hygiene field sanitation and hygiene measures vector control and barriers water purification methods environmental medicine lightning injuries submersion and drowning envenomation and toxicology animal attacks heat illness and dehydration cold injuries and hypothermia nutrition in extreme environments aerospace medicine improvised medicine improvised field wound management improvisational medical techniques in the wilderness disaster and humanitarian assistance triage field hospital provision malnutrition therapy wilderness emergencies and trauma care pre-hospital patient assessment pain management in the wilderness setting emergency airway management psychological response to injury and stress management of trauma and injuries prolonged field care (pfc) epidemiology the epidemiology of wilderness medicine is as broad as the patient groups, geography and activities in question. common risks to many of these are gastointestinal upset, and minor injuries (ankle sprains, fractures, scrapes and lacerations) as well as the rarer and more serious disorders such as major trauma, heat related illnesses and cardiovascular disease (e.g. cardiac arrest). there are also a number of specific wilderness medical emergencies. austere environments interdisciplinary interface insights from the field of military combat tactical care (tccc) interact with wilderness medical practice and protocol development. moreover, new products and technologies tested in combat are adopted by wilderness medical personnel and vice versa. experts in wilderness medicine come from various professional groups and specialist backgrounds including the military. more recently, advances in the development of prolonged field care (pfc) guidelines has led to the development of military and civilian pfc courses, such as the international austere emergency care course.casualty extrication by road notable individuals prof paul auerbach (january 4, 1951 – june 23, 2021)(wilderness medicine) mr mark hannaford (extreme medicine) dr jon dallimore (expedition medicine) dr luanne freer (founder everest er) dr peter hackett (altitude medicine) dr seth c. hawkins (wilderness medicine) dr sean hudson (expedition medicine) prof chris imray (altitude physiology) dr kenneth iserson (improvised medicine) col sean keenan (austere medicine) dr burjor langdana (expedition dentistry) dr hannah lock (expedition & mountain medicine) mr aebhric o’kelly (special operations medicine, prolonged field care) education portable hyperbaric chamber used in altitude sickness few countries provide formal medical accreditation for specialists in wilderness medicine. the credentialing that exists is mostly drawn from professional organisations run for and by wilderness medicine clinicians. as a result, there is a huge variety in the education available for wilderness medicine, with only a few educational institutions specialising in this field. the wilderness medical society is perhaps the oldest and most well established organisation in this area and has established international reach. the wilderness medical society produce the wilderness & environmental medicine journal and administer the fellowship of the academy of wilderness medicine (fawm) award. the fawm was first awarded in 2007 in 28 clinicians (20 men and 8 women). the fawm continues today and recognised educational activity form a number of providers which provide credit towards the fellowship. the college of remote and offshore medicine (corom) in malta offers fawm credit as well as; undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses in wilderness medicine-related topics. and mountain medicine. an extreme medicine master's degree has run in partnership between the private company world extreme medicine and the university of exeter since 2016. there are a number of higher education and specialist qualifications available internationally: diplomas pgdip extreme medicine university of exeterdimm / dipmtnmed (mountain medicine)dipexpwildmed (rcpsg)didmm (dive and marine medicine)diprom (rcsed) bachelors bsc remote paramedic practice (corom) masters degrees msc extreme medicine, university of exeter.msc austere critical care (corom) fellowships (academic) fawm - fellow of the wilderness medical society™ (3-5 year educational programme)mfawm - master fellow of the wilderness medical society™ fellowships (contribution to the field) fewm - fellow of extreme and wilderness medicine (awarded for achievements and contribution to extreme medicine)frgs - fellow of the royal geographical society (may be awarded for achievement in extreme, wilderness or expedition medicine) applications to covid-19 as of april 2020, studies and trials are underway that examine the possible benefits of nitric oxide in the treatment of covid-19. this research is related to the role of nasal breathing in the creation of nitric oxide, which increases oxygen absorption in the lungs. nitric oxide was also investigated as an experimental therapy for sars. brian strickland, md, a fellow in wilderness medicine at massachusetts general hospital who studies "acute respiratory distress" in high altitudes, is applying this research towards covid-19. he is currently involved in clinical trials which apply the use of inhaled nitric oxide as a treatment for covid-19. this approach was inspired by the work of associate professor of emergency medicine at the harvard medical school n. stuart harris, who has been studying the effects of altitude sickness on mountain climbers, such as those who climb mount everest. harris noticed that the consequences of high level altitude sickness on the human body mirrored covid-19's dysfunctional impact on the lungs. his focus on nitric oxide comes from its role in being able to breathe in high altitudes.