Things You'll Need:
- Advanced First Aid Certification
- Evacuation Plan
- First Aid Books
- Wilderness First Aid Classes
- First Aid Kits
- Plastic Bags
- Evacuation Insurance
- First Aid Classes
- Stuff Sacks
- Plastic bags
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Step 1
Look for any of these signs and symptoms of hyperventilation: high anxiety, rapid and deep breathing, rapid pulse, a feeling of suffocation, dizziness or faintness, dry mouth, numbness in the hands and around the mouth, a feeling of paralysis in the hands, stabbing chest pain.
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Step 2
Calm the person down by identifying the source of anxiety and addressing it. Hyperventilation is often triggered in wilderness settings by a fear of heights, by equipment failures, or by a minor injury that causes anxiety.
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Step 3
Communicate continually with the injured person: explain that even though he or she feels a need for more oxygen, the problem is that he or she is getting too much of it, and that the symptoms will go away as breathing calms down.
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Step 4
Have the person breath into a stuff sack or other bag, covering both the nose and mouth with the bag. This will increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood.









Comments
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Literature has always been saying to let a casualty showing signs of hyperventilation to breathe into a plastic bag. However, should this casualty exhibit a pale appearance, it could actually mean that the casualty is experiencing a lack of oxygen. By making the casualty breathe into a plastic bag, it would only limit his access to oxygen further.
Casualties showing signs of hyperventilation and a pale appearance, should be guided to breathe slowly and in deep breathes instead of using a plastic bag!