injuries and poisoning
Hypothermia
Treatment of Hypothermia
Drying and warming the body from the outside, by removing wet clothing and wrapping in warm blankets Warming the body from the inside, by warming the air to breathe and by using warm fluids In the early stages of hypothermia, drying the body, changing into warm, dry clothing, being covered with warm blankets, and drinking hot beverages can bring about recovery. In people who are found unconscious, further heat loss is prevented by wrapping them in a warm, dry blanket and, if possible, gently removing wet clothing and moving them to a warm place while arrangements are made for immediate transportation to a hospital. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) outside of a hospital is not recommended, particularly by bystanders, if there are any signs of life, which may be very difficult to detect. For example, it may be difficult, particularly for untrained people, to detect very faint respirations and heartbeats. Often, even if no pulse can be felt and no heartbeat can be heard, the heart may be beating. Also, a severely hypothermic person must be handled gently, because a sudden jolt may cause an Overview of Abnormal Heart Rhythms (arrhythmia) that could be fatal. In the hospital, doctors warm the person with warmed oxygen given by inhalation and heated fluids given intravenously or passed into the bladder, stomach, abdominal cavity, or chest cavity through plastic tubes inserted into those areas. In addition, the blood may be warmed through the process of hemodialysis (in which the blood is pumped out of the body, through a filter with a heating attachment, and back into the body) or with a heart-lung machine (which pumps blood out of the body, heats the blood, adds oxygen, and then returns the blood to the body). Doctors may need to help the person breathe by inserting a plastic breathing tube through the mouth into the windpipe (endotracheal intubation) and using Mechanical Ventilation . If the heart has stopped, Because some people with hypothermia who have arrived at the hospital with no signs of life have recovered, doctors may continue resuscitation efforts until the person is warmed or until they are sure that there is no heartbeat or other signs of life. 