First Aid - trekkingchile

First Aid

First Aid for Trekkers and Mountaineers in Chile

What to do in case of emergency?

Unfortunately, accidents occur often or illness can affect participants during mountain excursions. A dislocated arm, tendon rupture, or even heart attacks can be a tough ordeal for anyone participating in a mountain trek. While in most cases in Europe it is just a matter of locating the injured and making brief call, in the isolated and practically uninhabited regions of the Andes, the affected person can only count on himself.

The following pages give trekkers and mountaineers information about the local particularities in case of emergencies; explain general first aid principles, describe the development of a rescue of injured trekkers and deal in detail with the problems of altitude, illnesses and lesions that can occur in the Andes.

All the information was verified by Alexander Römer, certified mountain and skiing guide, rescue paramedic and author of the book “Mountain First Aid and Rescue”, Ed. Am Berg (not translated into Spanish). However, we don’t claim to have done a complete or mistake-free work. Many of the help measures described here must be applied only in extreme situations due to their risks.