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Abstracts for Alcohol and Expeditions, Free Paper Session
Abstracts for Alcohol and Expeditions, Free Paper Session, Thursday 17 September 11.15–12.00, Pippard Lecture Theatre
Expedition medicine: the risk of illness and injury
  1. C. M. Wiggins,
  2. R. M. Lyon
  1. Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh

    https://doi.org/10.1136/emj.2009.082099b

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      Background

      Doctors and allied health professionals with emergency medicine experience may provide medical support to worldwide charity expeditions, which are becoming increasingly popular. Little is known about the risks of participating in a charity expedition.

      Aims

      To quantify and describe the incidence and nature of illness and injuries sustained on worldwide charity expeditions.

      Methods

      Retrospective case review of all expeditions organised by a single operator from 2004 to 2008 inclusive.

      Results

      232 expeditions took place during the study period. A doctor was present on all expeditions. Expedition activities included trekking, cycling, rafting, dog sledding and kayaking. Trips went to all continents including desert, polar, tropical and mountainous regions. Complete expedition medical reports were available from 148 (64%) trips. These represented 4077 participants and 1524 expedition days. Expeditions reported a total of 1564 incidents over 42 482 man-days in the field. 1438 incidents (92%) were classified as “minor”, 75 (5%) “moderate” and 19 (1%) “major” in severity. The commonest reported ailment was gastrointestinal upset (n = 449, 29%), followed by mild acute mountain sickness (n = 247, 16%) and musculoskeletal problems (n = 146, 9%). The majority of cases classified as “severe” resulted from acute severe mountain sickness. No deaths occurred but 27 medical evacuations were reported. In total, 249 medical interventions were performed by expedition doctors.

      Conclusions

      We report one of the largest ever published series on the risks of illness and injury while participating in an overseas expedition. These findings suggest that well-organised charity expeditions are safe, with similar risks encountered in everyday life. Medical intervention on expeditions was minimal but, when required, could prove life-saving.