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Severe frosts, the fashion for sea and often irresponsibility have resulted in several high-profile cases of extreme hypothermia in recent days. Hypothermia occurs when body temperature drops below 35 degrees. How should you deal with a chilled person? What to Avoid During CPR?
- In other words, hypothermia is a cooling down of the body. The temperature then drops by a few degrees Celsius below the desired 36. In severe cases, it can drop by as much as 10 degrees
- How to deal with a chilled person? Gently. This applies to both the process of warming up and moving the person in hypothermia
- Under no circumstances should alcohol be served
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
Hypothermia – what is it?
In other words, hypothermia is a cooling down of the body. It occurs when the body temperature drops below the necessary minimum of 36 degrees C. Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce.
The main cause of body cooling is exposing it to extremely unfavorable conditions related to low ambient temperature. Cold water is especially dangerous. Water conducts heat better and cools the body much faster than air. When the whole body is immersed in 4-degree water, the average person can only stay awake for about five minutes.
Hypothermia – what are the stages?
Hypothermia is divided into several stages of hypothermia. The first is the so-called defensive phase. The body temperature is then 34-36 degrees Celsius, the symptoms are goose bumps and chills. Chills are a defensive reaction of the body, the body wants to produce more heat through movement.
In the mild phase (32-28 degrees Celsius) dizziness, muscle tremors, limb weakness and confusion appear. The victim is still able to help himself. In the other, moderate, earlier symptoms are more pronounced, accompanied by muscle spasms, cold pain, apathy, indifference, impaired consciousness and slurred speech.
Severe hypothermia occurs when your body temperature drops below 28 degrees Celsius. Symptoms include a slow pulse, poorly felt breathing, bluish skin, and loss of consciousness that may be fatal.
How to get out of hypothermia?
The first thing to do when helping a chilled person is to call for help. You need to call an ambulance as soon as possible by calling 999 or 112.
How to help a person with hypothermia? Above all, sudden heating should be avoided. This should be done gradually. A hot shower will only hurt, not help, as it can cause thermal shock.
A cold person should not make sudden movements. It should not be lifted or sharply knocked over to the safe side position, it must be done gently. The blood circulation of a person exposed to a long stay in the cold is mainly maintained in the brain, heart and lungs. Sudden movement will cause blood from cold parts of the body to enter the heart, and this can cause cardiac arrest.
We must protect a cooled person against further cooling. We do not rub it or massage it. It should be covered with a jacket, blanket or thermal foil, insulation material (it can also be cardboard, polystyrene) can also be placed under her body. If the person is conscious, warm and sweet drinks may be given. However, it should not be coffee, let alone alcohol. We also do not serve solid food. If we have the opportunity, we take off wet and cold clothes and replace them with dry ones, we do not forget to cover the head.
If the hypothermia is profound, we are dealing with an unconscious person, breathing and pulse should be checked. With hypothermia, the work of the lungs and heart slows down, so the time for checking vital functions should be extended. We start heart massage. We compress the chest and perform artificial respiration. When circulation returns, the patient should be secured and wait for the ambulance to arrive.
If the patient’s body temperature has dropped below 28 degrees Celsius, he or she must be hospitalized. The most commonly used then is ECMO, i.e. continuous extracorporeal blood oxygenation in combination with circulation support and body heating.
Read also:
- Does alcohol warm up the body? The doctor tells you how it really is
- Does Frost Kill Coronavirus? The infectious doctor explains
- What happens to the body in severe frosts? The first symptoms after an hour