Although not rare, venomous snakebites do not occur commonly in New York State, with a mean of just 7 bites per year; fortunately most snakebites reported are from nonvenomous snakes. Yet even nonvenomous bites have the potential to cause moderately severe outcomes. Medical providers in the state should be aware of their management.
Mandatory rest stops during extreme running events in hot or tropical environments, like the Jungle Marathon, are likely to improve athlete safety and improve the heat acclimatization process.
As participation at remote endurance events increases, so does the need to screen participants for potentially problematic medical conditions, but this process has been ill-defined to date. This article aims to outline a general approach to screening and discusses common or important medical conditions that may need consideration in the screening process. Medical conditions that are considered low risk may translate to high-risk conditions in the setting of a remote and austere location. Medical directors of remote endurance events should have a familiarity with assessing risks and applying informed consent principles to participation. While there are no specific standards on medical disqualification from an event based on medical history alone, several systematic considerations should be made that allow for an assessment of risk to an individual for a specific event. The medical director and event director, in discussion with the athlete and treating clinician when appropriate, should come to a consensus on participation when high-risk medical conditions become apparent during the screening process. Both modifications and accommodations to participation may be used to mitigate both clinical and medicolegal risk and allow for participation.
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