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General Climbing Discussion

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Upside down 7-Jun-2007 At 4:32:45 PM shamus

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Isn't selective deafness / ignorance a wonderful thing... Yes, hitting things hurts. A bloody lot. The point I was trying to make however was that injuries to the abdomen are less likely TO OCCUR than to the limbs and head. Pressure on the brain IS the issue with head injuries! Hooray, you're not as silly as you otherwise let on at times. That pressure is what causes the rapid decline in patients condition. Pressure from the bleeding is less likely to occur if the head was previously protected, eg a helmet...

>Same forces involved
Yes and no. Spear straight into the ground, its all bad news. Hence you protect the parts of climbs with a risk of ground or ledge fall to the best of your ability. Re: the point of this thread - get caught by the rope to some degree, get flung upside down, and have flailing bits of you start flapping into the cliff? No, not the same forces at all.

Yep, you can get major bleeds from injuries to any part of your body, and first aid is only able to limit the effects in some cases. 2 litres in the leg. Know what you're up against, provide a pressure bandage, and thank god for the bodies ability to compensate, raise blood pressure. That can protect you for an hour or more, depending on other issues. Time to make it to a hospital, better medical facilities etc. You don't have that time, or those opportunities with head injuries. Same system that will protect vital functions in a situation of general blood loss will accelerate death if you have haemorrhage in/on the brain. Two reasons you die - heart stops or brain stops. Can protect one of those organs. Why not if you have the choice?