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We associate hypothermia with mountaineers dying of cold in the high mountains or with people who got lost on the trail in winter and died, for example, in the Tatra Mountains. But death from a cold can also happen in autumn, in the city. In Usnarz Górny, foreigners have been wandering outside for several nights and die. According to drug. Jakub Sieczko, the main cause is hypothermia.
- Normal human body temperature is around 36,6 degrees Celsius. When it drops to 33 degrees C, hallucinations and dementia appear. At 24 degrees C, death may already occur
- There is no need for frost to cool the body down. All it takes is cold water, strong wind or rain
- The hypothermic person begins to feel warm. That is why climbers were found who took off their jackets or gloves before they died
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Not only in the mountains and in great frost. You can also die of cold in the fall
Most often we hear reports of hypothermia in the context of the homeless who freeze on Polish streets every year in the fall and winter season. We also encounter hypothermia in reports about climbers who climb eight-thousanders in winter. But these are only the most extreme cases of fatal hypothermia. Hypothermia can also occur in other situations: just a few minutes in water at a temperature not higher than 4 degrees C is enough. Or a night spent outside in strong wind or rain.
Foreigners have been wandering on the Polish-Belarusian border for a long time, spending increasingly cold nights in the open countryside. Information about their deaths is already reaching the media, and one of the main reasons may be just hypothermia.
– I believe that the first factor that kills them is hypothermia – said the drug in an interview with Medonet. Jakub Sieczko, an anesthesiologist. The specialist was in the group of medics who declared their willingness to treat refugees at the border. – I have such experience in working in emergency medical services that when autumn begins, challenges also begin for chilled people who, for various reasons, found themselves in a cold place and stayed there for a long time. Even in the city, it is very dangerous to be outside all night, with clothes on, in the cold autumn or winter. On the other hand, being outside for a dozen or so nights is extremely dangerous. Deep hypothermia is a medical emergency.
- See also: Refugees on the Polish-Belarusian border are dying. The doctor explains what threatens their health and life the most
When the body temperature drops below 33 degrees Celsius, a cold person may lose touch with reality. At the same time, she is unaware that she should warm herself. On the contrary, it feels warm then.
– I have reliable information that one of the people transported to the hospital, found on the Polish side, had a temperature deep below 30 degrees C. And we know that the normal temperature is 36,6 degrees C. Even in the city, even in Poland every season there are patients with profound hypothermia who, for various reasons, find themselves in this state. I do not see the strength that these people, who wandered in forests for several nights, did not develop severe hypothermia after such a time – he explains.
The rest of the text is below the video.
First chills, then hallucinations and a feeling of warmth
Normal body temperature of a healthy person is about 36,6 degrees Celsius. It may fluctuate slightly, but these are not dramatic jumps. With greater drops, hypothermia begins, and it is divided into four phases.
Between 35 and 34 degrees C we are dealing with the body’s defensive phase. At this stage, chills and an overwhelming feeling of coolness appear, as well as “goosebumps”. The fingers also go numb. The chills are to warm the body by moving the muscles. The fact that we lose feeling in our fingers is due to the fact that the body focuses on protecting the internal organs – the heart and the kidneys. At the same time, it “disconnects” the least necessary elements. At this stage, motor functions slow down, which means we move more slowly. There is also a feeling of general weakness as well as confusion.
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When the temperature drops below 32 degrees C, dizziness and pain in arms and legs appear. In addition, the person experiences anxiety combined with disorientation, loses track of time, and may also act as if he is inebriated – with a lack of motor coordination and slurred speech. At this stage, there is also dementia and disturbance of consciousness. Hallucinations may also appear. A person in this state no longer feels cold. On the contrary – she gets warm, so she can even take off clothes. Man falls into lethargy.
Below 28 degrees C we are already dealing with deep hypothermia, with loss of consciousness, brain hypoxia, as well as slowing down of breathing and heart rate. A person in this state is cold, their pupils do not react to light, and their skin turns pale or even pale green.
When the body temperature drops to 24 degrees C, the risk of dying from hypothermia increases. If such a person is not helped, death is in fact inevitable.
How is hypothermia treated? First aid and ICU
Depending on the degree of hypothermia, other measures are taken to provide first aid to a hypothermic person. When it is in a mild state, first of all you should change its clothes, cover it and drink warm liquids.
However, when it develops deeper hypothermia, apathy and confusion, medical attention is needed. Before the ambulance arrives, the cooled-down person should be placed in a position with curled legs, covered with e.g. a blanket and, if conscious, give a warm drink.
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If the condition of the victim is serious and unconscious, checking the breath and pulse should be extended to one minute. If after this time we do not feel the breath or the pulse, it is necessary to ventilate the body for 3 minutes, followed by resuscitation (which may take up to 10 times longer than in the case of a person with normal body temperature).
Upon arrival, the ambulance transports the victim to the ICU, where professional hypothermia care will be provided. Staff may use cardiopulmonary bypass or circulatory support.
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Miracles happen. Kasia’s body temperature dropped to 16,9 degrees Celsius
History knows cases where even people who were deeply cold were brought back to life. In 2015, Kasia Węgrzyn was buried by an avalanche in the Tatra Mountains. When the rescuers reached the girl, her body temperature dropped to 16,9 degrees C. Kasia was breathing, but the TOPR members had no doubts that her heart would soon stop beating.
It happened at 17.30. However, mountain rescuers have a golden rule, which they also applied in this case – “a man is not dead until he is warm and dead” (you cannot stop rescuing a chilled person and declare death unless you warm him).
The goal was to transport Kasia to the Deep Hypothermia Treatment Center. There, the circulation was restored. Her heart started beating again after six hours and 45 minutes.
Also read:
- Mrs. Janina died and then came back to life in the morgue. This is Lazarus syndrome
- Hypothermia. What happens when the temperature of the human body drops?
- What happens to the body in severe frosts? The first symptoms after an hour
- She was “dead” for several hours. How was it possible to save her?