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Step 1
SYMPTOMS
* Shivering (your body trying to warm itself)
* Clumsiness or lack of coordination
* Slurred speech or mumbling
* Stumbling
* Confusion or difficulty thinking
* Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes
* Drowsiness or very low energy
* Apathy, or lack of concern about one's condition
* Progressive loss of consciousness
* Weak pulse
* Shallow breathing
If YOU are the victim of hypothermia, you probably won't be the one to notice it. It progresses slowly, and as you can see, causes confusion.
Also, hypothermia isn't completely limited to exposure to the outdoors. Infants and the elderly can get hypothermia by simply being in the air conditioning or a poorly heated house, even at a temperature a younger, healthier person can deal with. In those kinds of cases, shivering is limited to unexistant, and the symptoms are usually more vague than hypothermia because of the weather.
Symptoms in the Elderly:
* Confusion
* Lack of coordination
* Dizziness
* Nausea or vomiting
* Fatigue
Symptoms in Infants:
* Bright red, cold skin
* Very low energy -
Step 2
WHEN TO SEEK HELP
If someone is exhibiting the above symptoms, you you suspect that they have had long and/or unprotected exposure to the cold, get emergency medical help. In the meantime, get them inside to a warm place, remove any wet clothing, and put them under layers of blankets. -
Step 3
CAUSES
So just what causes hypothermia? Prolonged exposure to a condition colder than your body temperature, without the proper clothing or control over it, can lead to the dangerous drop in body temperature. Some causes:
* Wearing clothes that aren't warm enough for weather conditions
* Staying out in the cold too long
* Unable to get out of wet clothes or move to a warm, dry location
* Accidental falls in water, as in a boating accident
* Inadequate heating in the home, especially for older people and infants
* Air conditioning that is too cold, especially for older people and infants
Want it even MORE specific? Your body can lose heat in three different ways.
* Radiated heat - I'm sure you knew already that your body gives off heat. Your hands, feet, and head give it off quickest, with your head accountable for half of all heat loss!
* Direct contact - Direct contact with a cold solid or liquid will seep heat from you. Water absorbs heat much quicker than a solid; that's why water at 65 degrees Fahrenheit is much more dangerous than air at that same temperature. This is also why you can get hypothermia if you're wearing wet clothes.
* Wind - The wind "blows away" the layer of heat surrounding you that helps to keep you warm. That's why low wind chills can be dangerous. Even if it's 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the wind chill being -15 degrees Fahrenheit is as good as the actual temperature being -15 degres Fahrenheit. -
Step 4
RISK FACTORS
Just who should be extra precautious?
* Those 65 years and older - As you get older, your body loses its ability to retain heat. Older people also tend to have more diseases, be less mobile, and sometimes are not able to effectively communicate that they are cold.
* Children - Children are more susceptible for many reasons. They lose heat faster, due to their larger head-to-body ratio. They may also ignore the cold, either because they are enjoying themselves or don't understand the potential seriousness; not dress properly; or not get out of the cold when they really should. Infants are also less effective at regulating body temperature.
* Mental impairment - The mentally impaired may not dress properly for the weather or understand why the cold is so dangerous. They are also more prone to wander and get lost, which leads to prolonged exposure.
* Alchohol and drugs - Alchohol dilates your blood vessels, leading to quicker heat loss. Someone using alchohol or recreational drugs are also judgementally impaired. If they happen to pass out in cold weather, it is likely that they will develop hypothermia.
* Medical conditions - Some medical conditions highten your chance for developing hypothermia. Such conditions are: underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), malnutrition, stroke, severe arthritis, Parkinson's disease, trauma, spinal cord injuries, burns, disorders that affect sensation in your extremities (for example, nerve damage in the feet of people with diabetes), dehydration and any condition that limits activity or restrains the normal flow of blood.
* Medications - Antipsychotic drugs and sedatives lessen your body's ability to regulate heat. -
Step 5
OTHER COLD-RELATED ILLNESSES
Hypothermia in itself can lead to cardiac and respiratory failure, which are potentially fatal. Someone who has developed hypothermia is also vunerable to:
* Frostbite (freezing of tissues)
* Gangrene, sometimes a complication of frostbite (decay and death of tissue due to interrupted blood flow.)
* Chillblains (damage to nerves and small blood vessels, usually in hands or feet, after prolonged exposure to cold, above freezing temperatures.)
* Trench/Immersion Foot (damage to nerves and small blood vessels due to prolonged exposure to cold water) -
Step 6
FIRST-AID
Until medical help arrives, follow these first-aid steps. Follow them well; who knows, they may just save a life!
* Be gentle with them! Don't rub, massage, or jar the person; this can cause them to go into cardiac arrest!
* Get somewhere warm. If for some reason a warm place is unavailable, try to shelter them from the wind, and make sure they are wearing as many blankets or layers of warm clothing as possible.
* Remove any and all wet clothing. Wet clothes will seep their body heat from them faster.
* Cover them in as many blankets as possible, to try to warm them.
* Insulate them from the ground or whatever cold surface they may be laying on. Put a blanket down before lying them on their back.
* Be sure to keep a constant eye on their breathing. If their breathing seems to get too shallow or becomes non-existant, perform CPR if you are qualified.
* Sharing is caring! Remove both their clothes and yours, and lay together, making skin-to-skin contact, under the blankets to share body heat.
* If available, and if the person is awake and able to drink, give them a nice warm (nonalcoholic and noncaffeinated!)drink.
* If you have warm compresses available, use them! If not, make one out of warm water in a plastic bottle, or even a dryer-warmed towel. Be sure that you ONLY apply the compress to either the chest, groin, or neck. Placing them on the arms or legs forces cold blood back to the brain and heart, which can be fatal!
* Even though it may seem like a good idea to you, heating pads and other forms of direct heat won't help. In fact, this can trigger cardiac arrest! -
Step 7
MEDICAL TREATMENT
So what actually happens once real medical help becomes available?
* The first thing they may do is remove some of the victim's blood, warm it, and then recirculate it.
* A warm IV containing salt water may be inserted.
* Instead of rewarming the blood, they can warm the respiratory system by giving the person humidified oxygen through an oxygen mask or nasal tubes.
* Warm salt water may be used to heat the stomach, bladder or colon.
Comments
tnpos said
on 8/16/2009 Very well written. Great detail! Thank you for sharing!