Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a common problem for both pre and in-hospital clinicians. Understanding the underpinning physiology helps us deliver first class care to our patients, decreasing associated morbidity and mortality.

There is some extremely difficult decision making to be done in severe cases of hypothermia and the podcast gives us an opportunity to explore them further.

We’ll cover the subject in depth with particular reference to the following categories of hypothermia; treatment, modifications in cardiac arrest and prognostication.

Enjoy!

Simon, Rob & James

References

ERC 2015; Cariac arrest in specialist circumstances

LITFL; hypothermia

RCEMLearning; hypothermia

Up to Date; Hypothermia

At the bedside, out of the cold: management of hypothermia and frostbite. Biem J.CMAJ. 2003

The prehospital management of hypothermia – An up-to-date overview. Haverkamp FJC. Injury. 2018 

Accidental hypothermia-an update : The content of this review is endorsed by the International Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine (ICAR MEDCOM). Paal P. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2016

Accidental hypothermia. Brown DJ. 2012 N Engl J Med.

An evaluation of the Swiss staging model for hypothermia using hospital cases and case reports from the literature. Pasquier M. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2019 

The HOPE Score

Hypothermia outcome prediction after extracorporeal life support for hypothermic cardiac arrest patients: The HOPE score. Mathieu Pasquier. Resuscitation. 2018