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clinical practice

Hypothermia: exploring causes and treatment options

02 January 2019
Features
02 January 2019
Volume 11 · Issue 1

Abstract

The regulation of a patient's body temperature is a key part of a paramedic's duty during treatment. Preventing hypothermia by keeping a core body temperature above 35°C and providing sufficient warming devices to prevent changes in body temperature requires careful assessment, monitoring and training. Critical factors in achieving this include assessment of the patient's exposure to the cold, and understanding of the risks linked to hypothermia—especially in older patients who are at risk of a fatal reaction if the body's temperature drops.

After completing this module the paramedic will be able to:

Paramedics play a vital role in maintaining a patient's body temperature—especially in the prehospital environment and trauma situations. It is important that paramedics are able to perform accurate temperature measurements and initiate timely intervention, as evidence shows that this can reduce hypothermia-associated mortality (Kirkegaard et al, 2017).

According to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (Galvao et al, 2010), the issue of keeping patients warm during a stay in hospital is an important one, but one that can pose a challenge. Preventing hypothermia—that is, a core body temperature below 35°C—and providing sufficient warming devices in order to prevent changes in a patient's body temperature requires careful assessment, monitoring and training. This issue is particularly important in patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) or the emergency department (ED).

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