PLB aided Medivac incident KNP

[Tony]

Considering PLB’s have been debated a lot on Bushwalk.com I thought that this article might be of some interest.

This is an account of a medical evacuation that happened last November in the Kosciuszko National Park.

This article appeared in the Canberra Bushwalking Club magazine “it” February issue volume 45 number 1. The group of four where exploring the Finns River and Burrungubugge River area when one of the party started to show signs of illness.

These are parts from the article which are about the rescue.

By this time, we where seriously worried about Basil’s condition. He had been below his best all trip, Even though he had started well in the morning, the last kilometer had taken him almost 45 minutes, and he was feeling nauseous, cold and exhausted by the time we reached our camp. Bundling him up in his thermals and sleeping bag, and giving him electrolytes to sip, we monitored his pulse and condition for an anxious couple of hours, Michael, a vet, noted a heart arrhythmia, at which point we decided to summon help before daylight faded to the point where a helicopter would need to make a night landing. At 5.15 pm we set off the EPIRB.

It was less than 45 minutes later that the first helicopter arrived, making a beeline straight for us across the hills. Colin, the pilot, a private operator from Jindabyne, had been asked to come out to check the situation. Less than 30 minutes later, the larger SouthCare helicopter from Canberra arrived, bringing a crew of four, plus a complete array of testing equipment and medicines and stretcher. Five minutes later, with Basil connected to an ECG and drip, they confirmed that he was suffering from Atrial Fibrillation and he needed to be evacuated to Canberra for admission to hospital for observation.

So less than two hours after first calling for help they were gone, leaving the three of us to sit around the Trangia, to tell the story o’er and o’er, and marvel at the efficiency of the rescue personnel, their helicopters, and the EPIRB system in general.

So, what did we learn?

. That a good leader is invaluable. Michael was always conscious of the progress of the party and adapted the route to suit, he kept his calm in difficult circumstances, and he consulted the rest of the party before making important decisions.

. That an EPIRB (PLB) is worth taking on all walks, The SouthCare pilot was full of praise for the new 406 MHz system, saying that they were now able to go straight to the activation site, whereas with the older system they often wasted valuable time searching for the emergency.

. That the Club’s Emergency Information sheet is an invaluable aid for keeping a record of observations and actions – without it we would have been much less precise when asked to provide details of what had happened.

PS – On our return to Canberra we found that Basil had been discharged from hospital, and that our emergency had even rated a short mention in the Canberra times the next day.

Note. I have a special interest in this article as I have recently been a sufferer of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and realise how deliberating the condition can be. While it is rarely dangerous shortly after the AF attacks start as it usually takes around 48 hours for blood clots to form, it is taken very serious by the doctors at hospital ED.

AF in some people can be treated by drugs, I found the drugs worse than the condition and opted for an operation, this operation called a Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI) is a marvel of modern medicine, it was performed with key hole surgery and took 5 hours to complete, I was home the next day. It has been 2 years three months since the operation and I have had no signs of the AF coming back, though one of my Cardiologists has warned me that I should slow down a bit.

Tony

[frank_in_oz]

Very interesting post Tony, Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

Have to say, having worked in hospitals for 30 years, I love it that a vet diagnosed the arrhythmia! (I have worked with a lot of surgeons I consider would be better off as vets, now I have changed my mind....maybe butchers instead?)

Speaking of PLB / EPIRB activation, we just put up a post over at Our Hiking Blog by a lady called Talie. She got "geographically challenged" in the Frenchman's Cap area. Her story interested me because she was very open and honest about all the mistakes she made. Might be worth a read - here: http://ourhikingblog.com.au/2010/03/plb ... s-cap.html

[Tony]

Hi Frank,

Very interesting post Tony, Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

Have to say, having worked in hospitals for 30 years, I love it that a vet diagnosed the arrhythmia! (I have worked with a lot of surgeons I consider would be better off as vets, now I have changed my mind....maybe butchers instead?)

Speaking of PLB / EPIRB activation, we just put up a post over at Our Hiking Blog by a lady called Talie. She got "geographically challenged" in the Frenchman's Cap area. Her story interested me because she was very open and honest about all the mistakes she made. Might be worth a read - here: http://ourhikingblog.com.au/2010/03/plb ... s-cap.html

Thanks for the link the the "geographically challenged" story on your blog, it is very interesting how even experienced walkers if they are not paying attention can get off track or lost. I know one walker who will not leave his main pack no matter how small a side trip.

It is by reading about these incidents that we might learn what not to do, and or what to do.

Tony