Hypothermia

Topic Lead: 2LT S Kelland

Target Level: Corps

Objective: Identify symptoms of hypothermia, and how to manage a patient with hypothermia

Need: Hypothermia is a potentially life-threatening condition. You need to be able to recognise hypothermia and the symptoms of hypothermia, as well as being able to carry out some basic treatment for the condition.

Scope:

What is hypothermia?
Identify hypothermia
Management of hypothermia

Date Updated: 30/08/21

Preventing Hypothermia

The best way to treat hypothermia is to stop yourself getting it in the first place!

Wear correct clothing. Make sure your clothing is warm and insulating (such as woolen or some synthetic fabrics).
Always take wind and rain protection. A good outer layer to protect you from wind and rain is essential. The best time to put this outer layer on is BEFORE you get cold and wet.
Eat nutritious food and stay hydrated. Food gives the body energy to help keep warm. On colder days you may need to eat more food to stay warm. Drink plenty of fluids, including hot drinks - not only do they help keep you warm, but they're excellent for boosting morale.

So What is Hypothermia?

Hypothermia means that your body temperature is too low and your body is too cold. This commonly occurs when the body is exposed to cold, wet, or windy conditions. Another way to think of it is that the body is losing heat faster than it can produce heat.

Symptoms of Hypothermia

Hypothermia can cause a range of symptoms, A helpful way to remember some of the symptoms is the 'umbles', which you can see to the left of the page.

Grumbles
Lack of Coordination (Fumbles)
Slurred Speech (Mumbles)
Confusion and Disorientation
Irrational Behaviour
Stumbles
Tumbles
Shivering
When a person is becoming or is hypothermic, they will often insist that they are fine.

Check out the video below to see what hypothermia can look like

Treating Hypothermia

Remember, major factors that cause hypothermia are cold, wet and windy conditions. A good start to treating a hypothermic patient is to remove the cold, wet and windy conditions:

Insulate the patient from the ground, for example with a thermal bed roll.
Seek shelter if possible, or erect a shelter at your current location.
Remove any wet clothing only if the patient is in shelter, otherwise they could get even colder when their clothes are removed. If the patient isn't in a shelter, keep the wet clothing on and cover them in something like a tarpaulin or a bivvy bag, which provides a waterproof layer ('vapour barrier') around the patient.
The patient can also be wrapped in warm blankets or sleeping bags
Ensure they eat and drink only if they are conscious and can talk.
If they are conscious then gentle movements can be beneficial, as muscle movement produces heat. Examples include sitting down and moving the arms and legs.
If the patient is semi-conscious then they should not be allowed to walk upright as they can easily collapse.
Hot water bottles can be placed around the body, for example under the armpits. This can help with stopping the patient getting colder, but isn't enough to rewarm them.

Sharing a sleeping bag to rewarm the patient doesn't work. It is an old wives tail.

Did you know?

A normal core body temperature is approximately 37.5 degrees Celsius. A doctor from Sweden, Anna Bågenholm, was once in a skiing accident and developed severe hypothermia. Her core body temperature was only 13.7 degrees Celsius, one of the coldest temperatures ever recorded where the patient survived. This was so cold that it caused her heart to stop beating, and she spent 2 months recovering in an Intensive Care Unit, including 10 days in a coma.

Want some extra info?

Check out the video on the right, or have a flick through the following links:

https://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/learn/skills/first-aid/

https://www.stjohn.org.nz/first-aid/first-aid-library/immediate-first-aid1/environmental-conditions/

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