Winter Brings Danger of Hypothermia

Prevention and Treatment of Chronic and Acute Hypothermia

Oct 1, 2009

How to prevent and treat hypothermia is something every outdoors person must know when taking part in winter activities.

Very simply, hypothermia takes place when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it. And it does not have to be extremely cold for hypothermia to set in. According to studies done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga., deaths caused by hypothermia have taken place in temperatures between 30 degrees and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Anyone who spends enough time in the outdoors in cold weather has experienced being cold, very cold. But ultimately it is not the fact that an individual gets cold, what matters is the way in which the situation is dealt with and this depends upon how the person is chilled.

There are two forms of hypothermia, acute and chronic. Acute hypothermia occurs when someone is cooled rapidly such as falling into cold water while ice fishing. Chronic hypothermia is when the cooling process happens over an extended period of time.

Dealing with Acute Hypothermia

According to William Forgey, M.D. an expert on cold weather injuries, the treatment of acute hypothermia differs depending upon how long the individual has been exposed to, in this case, cold water. If they have been in the cold water for more than 20 minutes, the amount of body heat lost is at a critical level and if untreated it can be lethal.

The first thing to do Forgey says, is to send for help if it is available and at the same time begin treatment. The best treatment, he says, is immersion in warm water to bring the body temperature up quickly, but in the outdoors environment, this is normally not an option. The victim should not be allowed to move around, as this could cause warmer blood in the body to move to the cold extremities causing the body’s core to cool even more. The victim should be placed in a warm, dry environment, such as a sleeping bag and then heat should be applied.

The areas to warm first are the chest, neck, head and groin, both Forgey and the CDC agree. These critical areas must be warmed prior to the extremities to prevent the danger of “after drop”, Forgey says. This takes place when warmer blood in the body’s core moves out to the cold extremities and is chilled.

Warm water bottles or chemical heat packs can be used to heat the core areas of the body. When using these items as a source of warmth, they should never be placed directly against the skin. If necessary one or two other individuals should get into the sleeping bag to help warm the victim. According to Forgey, two sleeping bags that can be mated together are always taken when he is on any arctic excursion. Continue treating the person until help arrives or it is obvious the person is complete warmed. The judgment on this is critical and this is why medical evacuation should take place.

Preventing Chronic Hypothermia

For most individuals outdoors, the most common problem will be chronic hypothermia while taking part in activities like sitting on a deer stand for hours, ice fishing or winter camping. As simple as it sounds, the easiest way to treat chronic hypothermia is to prevent it from happening .

During times where little physical activity takes place, the amount of clothing needed is oftentimes more than expected. On the other hand activities such as snow shoeing, x-country skiing and hiking will generate considerable warmth. But the minute they are stopped, the cold will set in. This is why the mantra of dress in layers is so important. By doing this, the amount of insulation can be adapted to face the current conditions.

Symptoms of Chronic Hypothermia

If someone begins complaining about the cold and then shows any of these symptoms it is time to act. In the very early stages of chronic hypothermia, just getting the person to a warm environment can be enough. But once the core of the body begins to chill, more direct actions must be taken.

The CDC recommends the following steps if someone is suffering from chronic hypothermia.

As suggested by the CDC, a hypothermia victim should be warmed by adding insulating layers. If the individual’s clothing is wet, replace it with dry clothing and get them moving around to help generate body heat. And as in acute hypothermia, one or two other individuals can be used to add warm inside two sleeping bags. According to Forgey and the CDC, the bottom line is this: get the individual out of the cold, add warmth and get medical help.

Each year people die from hypothermia but there is one simple statement from all medical professionals: there is no reason for a healthy person suffering from hypothermia is rescued, that they should die. Yet each year this happens and only because the proper steps were not taken soon enough.

The copyright of the article Winter Brings Danger of Hypothermia in Winter/Remote Camping is owned by Lawrence DiVizio. Permission to republish Winter Brings Danger of Hypothermia in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.