Body cooling, or hypothermia, occurs when the body temperature drops below the necessary minimum of 36.6 degrees Celsius. A slight cooling down of the body may lead to a cold. Severe hypothermia when the body temperature drops to 28 degrees can be fatal. What are the symptoms of hypothermia and what to do in case of hypothermia?

Body cooling , orhypothermia , is a state where the body temperature drops below 36.6 degrees Celsius. Hypothermia can threaten people who stay in very cold air or in water for a long time. It is fastercooling downin water, which cools down 20 times faster than air.

The death rate due to hypothermia in Poland is, according to official data, from 328 to 606 people per year (data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland 2008-2010) ¹

The body cools down (hypothermia)can happen, for example, in a traffic jam on a snow-covered highway, when you wait for help after an accident, or when you get lost in the mountains or fall into cold water ( sailing accident on a lake or sea, ice breakdown, etc.).

However, hypothermia can be caused not only by snow and frost, but also by wind and rain. In fact, hypothermia can occur all year round - even in summer - and not only in the mountains, but also in the city. Experts emphasize that it is in the city that people are more exposed to hypothermia than in the mountains. This is especially true of the homeless and alcoholics.

Cooling down of the body (hypothermia) - symptoms

Stage I hypothermia

In the first stage of hypothermia, when the body temperature reaches 32-35 degrees Celsius, the person is conscious, but shivers appear. The body, feeling that it is losing the temperature necessary for the proper functioning of all organs, tries to raise it by forcing the muscles to move. Chills are the first sign that you need to look for a place to warm yourself or put on more layers of clothing to keep the heat. There is little cooling in the chills stage - just being in a warm place, drying yourself if your body is wet, and drinking hot liquids to stay warm.

When you join the chills and cold hands and feet:

  • muscle tremors
  • weakness
  • dizziness
  • confusion

you are dealing with mild hypothermia. At this stage, man is still able to act alone - to get to a place where they will help, light a fire or make other attempts to warm up.

Stage II hypothermia

In the second stage of hypothermia, when the temperature is between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius, there is no longer shivering, but the level of consciousness is lowered, speech and coordination disorders occur - muscles are stiff, incoherent movements, gibberish speech, apathetic and loses track of time. In such a state, he requires the help of others.

In the third stage of hypothermia, when the body temperature is 24-28 degrees Celsius, a person loses consciousness and looks dead - blue-green skin, barely perceptible pulse and breathing or symptoms of respiratory and circulation arrest, pupils do not react to light. CPR is necessary at this stage.

In the fourth stage of hypothermia, when the temperature drops below 24 degrees Celsius, cardiac arrest occurs.

Stage five is irreversible hypothermia, i.e. death.

Cooling down the body (hypothermia) - what to do? First aid for cooling down

First of all, you need to maintain the functions of the circulatory system. Therefore, in an unconscious, seemingly dead person, external heart massage should be started: compress the chest in an appropriate manner and start artificial respiration. When circulation is restored, the casu alty should be moved to the room, and if this is not possible, it should be secured against further cooling and covered with a blanket or a jacket.

Don't do that

Avoid sudden heating! Whether you're dealing with mild hypothermia or severe hypothermia, warm up gradually. Therefore, you should not jump into a hot tub or a hot shower, because it is a simple way to thermal shock and even more trouble. You can take a warm bath after warming up your body.

Never leave even the sick person covered in the open.

Do not rub your hands or feet. You won't warm it up this way, and you will damage the skin.

Do not drink alcohol and coffee. Don't allow smoking.

If the victim is slightly cold and conscious, move him to the room as soon as possible and apply a moderate source of heat to the back, neck, head and thighs (a slightly heated electric pillow, heated blankets on a heater or stove, or thick towels). Until then, you should undress from cold or wet clothes when cooled, and then put on dry clothes and cover him with blankets or a jacket. It is also advisable to assumecaps.

You can curl up under a blanket - it is easier for your body to warm up (light physical activity is allowed in mild hypothermia). In addition, drink warm, sweet tea (or any other warm, sweet drink, but not coffee!), But do not give the injured person any solid food.

A chilled person who is not fully conscious (moderate degree of hypothermia), should not make any unnecessary movements and be in a lying position (applies to the movements of the torso and large joints - hips, knees, shoulders. be as slow as possible).

By cooling down, blood circulation is slowed down and warm blood is collected in the most important organs - the heart and the brain. The outer parts of the body are freezing cold.

Moving in this state would accelerate circulation and reach icy blood to the heart, which could stop circulation. For the same reason, you must not rub or rub the body. If the patient is moderately cold, do not undress, but only cover him with a sleeping bag, blankets, overcoats and carefully put something warm on the back, head, neck and thighs. In such a case, it is better not to give the injured person anything orally.

Cooling down the body (hypothermia) - treatment

The method of saving people in deep hypothermia is extracorporeal circulation. The so-called cannulas (commonly called inflatable tubes). Thanks to them, blood from the body is supplied to a device called ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), which works like an artificial heart-lung.

It oxidizes the blood and heats it by 6-9 degrees Celsius per hour, and then it returns to the patient's body. As a result, the temperature of the cooled body is gradually increased, and the "dormant" internal organs are stimulated.

Source:

1. Procedure of medical care for patients in the stage of deep hypothermia, http://izbalekarska.pl/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/doc_hipotermia_procedura.pd

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