what would you consider the most dangerous injury for a survival situation and how would you treat it.

EG arterial bleeding, try direct pressure and then indirect pressure if the bleeding doesnt stop.

This is the first of several questions, the others i'll ask later.

in very close order:
Head Trauma;
Abdominal internal bleed
Broken femur / hip
Arterial bleed

The arterial bleed can be accurately accessed and is fairly field treatable if you are on scene when it happens. (eg Aaron Ralston and the tourniquet) You can usually control arterial bleeds with direct pressure - indirect pressure - tourniquet approach, with the notable exception of the carotid artery.

Head Trauma may result in spinal injuries that are not noticed untill a while later when you suddenly fall down and cannot move or breath etc. Also Head trauma will lead to concusion and (hopefully temporary) stupidity which will lead to other bad things.

Abdominal internal bleed may not even be noticeable until so much blood has been lost into the abdomen that there is unrecoverable shock setting in.

Broken femur / hip is not only severly painful and debilitating but often leads to internal arterial bleeding into the groin - see abdominal internal bleed above.

For field situations where definitive care may be more than 24 hours away I'd prefer my patients dead or walking <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

...your situation, I'd also be concerned about hypothermia or heat stroke. This again points out the urgency of finding or making shelter quickly in a survival scenario.

To me the most dangerous injury is the one that I am untrained or ill equipped to handle. An ankle sprain can lead to a life-threatening situation if it eliminates my mobility preventing me from obtaining life-sustaining necessities. A severe burn, which might not be immediately life threatening, if left untreated can lead to dehydration, infection or reduce/eliminate ones' mobility, which in few days result in death. I think you need to look at the bigger picture; there is not any one thing that is the most dangerous. Read, study, ask questions (there are no dumb questions only those left unasked) train and equip yourself, this will allow you to analyze any situation quickly, take action, and make them less threatening. Pete

thanks for the replies.