A litter is a device for carrying someone, and in the context of wilderness medicine, it can be a lifesaver. Carrying a litter is painful, slow, backbreaking work, and that's the best case scenario, when you are using a commercially-designed litter for its intended purpose. When you must make your own, improvising with materials at hand, the difficulty grows.
In this video, see Wilderness EMT students testing some homemade litter designs in Sinks Canyon, outside of Lander WY.
Trauma to the abdomen can tear through the abdominal wall and, in some cases, expose the patient's intestines or other internal organs. This is a serious emergency called an evisceration, and it requires prompt evacuation from the wilderness and transport to a hospital. Infection, bleeding, and drying of the organs are all concerns.
